Eden Prairie News - Schools - Comments

You can also join the

Leah Shaffer — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 11:27:04 -0600

You can also join the discussion by clicking here.

EP News is compiling a list

Leah Shaffer — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:51:16 -0600

EP News is compiling a list of questions related to this issue. If you have a specific question you would like to see addressed, comment here, or e-mail editor@edenprairienews.com

We've got a long list of questions related to more details on the the costs and affects to programing. More debate will be held at the Tuesday Council meeting.

The following is the text of

Karla — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:02:06 -0600

The following is the text of the School District letter:

February 17, 2010

Dear _______________,

We would like to let you know that the Superintendent has decided which facilities option to recommend to the School Board. In this EP Schools Email News, we will share that option with you and also let you know why this is being recommended.

Why Consider a Change?
We want to ensure that our facilities best support student achievement. Knowing that our schools were structured around past, peak student enrollment numbers, the district started working almost two years ago to determine the most efficient future use of our schools as enrollment declines and space becomes more available. Already we’re seeing that our southern elementary schools are full while our northern elementaries have more space. We would also like to better meet the community’s need for some of our current programs and reduce the district’s investment in leased space.

What is the Recommendation?
The Superintendent will be recommending the “K-6” facilities option. This option would make the four existing, quadrant elementary schools into k-6 schools. In addition, Oak Point would be home to two schools: 1) the Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion School prek-6 and 2) another k-6 school that could be either boundaried or a district-wide choice school (to be determined). All early childhood and family education classes would be held at the Education Center or the current Eagle Heights Lower Campus building. One administrative department and some programs would be transitioned over time into the high school to reduce the investment in leased space (i.e. technology staff, the SHAPE program).

Why Recommend K-6?
The Superintendent made her decision based on what’s best for educating students, feasibility, and cost. While the other options were high cost, removed a quadrant school, reduced future flexibility, or would have left some school space underutilized, the K-6 option is being recommended because:
• It helps create the conditions for high-quality learning by:
o reducing the number of school-to-school transitions for students to only two,
o establishing large elementary grade bands (students are together for seven years),
o creating smaller cohorts of students, and
o creating smaller cohorts of teachers.
• It has the lowest estimated cost out of all five final options,
• It is a feasible and efficient use of school space,
• It allows for future flexibility (i.e. the district could consider adding some preschool programs into the elementary schools in the future), and
• It would provide the most flexibility to adding another district-wide choice school, if the district decides to add one.
We thank all of you who helped share your feedback through this process (i.e. shared your opinion via phone call, email, focus group, or viewing online videos and resources). This recommendation aligns well with so much of what we heard from parents and staff including those who were asking that we reduce the number of student transitions, create a longer elementary experience, consider cost as a key factor, do not split grade levels, maintain the quadrant elementary model, etc.

What are Possible Next Steps?
The Superintendent is currently sharing this recommendation with the School Board, and soon the Board will vote on aspects of this facilities option. Once we know which option the district will officially move forward with, we will work to communicate a decision on start times for next fall, and an implementation team will be created. This team will work through the details of what a future boundary change will look like, what the detailed implementation timeline will look like (the earliest implementation of any significant change will be the fall of 2011), plan for the transition of curriculum, etc.

We continue to be open to your thoughts, ideas, and questions. Feel free to contact us at communications@edenpr.org or 952-975-7150. We’ll keep you updated.

My best regards,

Camie Melton Hanily
Director of Communications

(Karla Wennerstrom is the editor of the Eden Prairie News. She can be reached at editor@edenprairienews.com.)

This video is great! I think

merynfluker — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:39:18 -0600

This video is great! I think show choir is so fascinating and I always thought it was so unfair that my high school didn't have it. I'm happy to see the activity get more recognition courtesy of "Glee." Best of luck to the choir as it tours L.A.

Here's a link to the list of

Karla — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:48:21 -0600

Here's a link to the list of restaurants that will be featured at the Taste of Eden Prairie: http://www.foundationforepschools.org/taste_restaurants.html

(Karla Wennerstrom is the editor of the Eden Prairie News. She can be reached at editor@edenprairienews.com.)

These are some major

Leah Shaffer — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:53:38 -0600

These are some major changes, folks. Feel free to chime in on what you think would be the best fit for Eden Prairie.
Or e-mail your thoughts to lshaffer@swpub.com

Click on the following link

Leah Shaffer — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:57:27 -0600

Click on the following link to learn more about the Race to the Top Program.

http://www.ed.gov/blog/2009/07/president-obama-secretary-duncan-announce...

Eden Prairie could have a good chance to get funds because it already participates in a merit pay system called Q Comp.

The following link is to a previous story about how Q Comp works.

http://www.edenprairienews.com/news/schools/teachers-vote-continue-q-com...

The following description of

Karla — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:54:43 -0600

The following description of options was recently sent to parents in the School District from Communications Director Camie Melton Hanily:

"Please note that all of these options plan for the reduction of the district's use of leased space by putting a few programs (i.e. the SHAPE program and district technology staff) in district-owned facilities as space becomes available over the next five years.

"SQ" Option:
This is considered the "status quo with minor changes" option. There is no k-12 grade level change; however, it moves preschool programs into the elementary schools.

"PK-6" Option:
This option would make Oak Point (OP) the district's fifth non-immersion elementary school. All five of those elementary schools would include children from preschool through grade six. Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion (EHSI) School would also be located entirely in OP. Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) would be in the building that now houses EHSI Lower Campus.

"K-6" Option:
This makes one change to the above, "PK-6" option: it centralizes all non-immersion preschool at the Education Center.

"4-6" Option:
This option would have students attending elementary school from preschool through grade three, then OP for grades 4-6. One of the current elementary buildings would become EHSI Upper Campus in this option.

"K-No-IMM" Option (also known as "1-6" option):
In this option, all non-immersion preschoolers, kindergartners, and ECFE classes would be in what is currently the administration building and the attached EHSI Lower Campus building. EHSI from preschool through grade six would be housed entirely at Oak Point. Those who currently work in the administration building would also be moved into Oak Point. The four elementary buildings would serve grades 1-6."

(Karla Wennerstrom is the editor of the Eden Prairie News. She can be reached at editor@edenprairienews.com.)

For more information on

Leah Shaffer — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:02:41 -0600

For more information on start times, click on the following link.

http://www3.edenpr.org/public/documents/home/headlines/starttimes/startt...

Maybe it was because they

Karla — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:01:00 -0600

Maybe it was because they got too many requests? I banned the "My Heart Will go on Song" from Titanic from my wedding reception.

(Karla Wennerstrom is the editor of the Eden Prairie News. She can be reached at editor@edenprairienews.com.)

My mom is a big fan of Lori

Mathias Baden — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:45:36 -0600

My mom is a big fan of Lori Line. I think she's pretty good, too. But when we took a book of her music to our church's organist and asked to have some of it played at our wedding, we found out the organist had banned it from all of the church's weddings. Boo!

(Mathias Baden is the editor of the Jordan Independent. He can be reached at editor@jordannews.com.)

You bring up a good point

stark — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:39:48 -0600

You bring up a good point Cecil. I believe all the candidates are humanitarian as far as they care for their fellow human. Mueller, in a less that modest way, gives himself this label as if he is some how better than the rest.

I agree that Mueller would a rubber stamp that Krull would keep in her desk drawer. I thank "Thinking Out Loud" for addressing seniors and property owners. Eden Prairie is becoming more and more of a community without kids enrolled in schools. This group of "nonparents" has been ignore in the past and needs to be recognized in the future.

I agree that we need people

CecilD. — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:21:23 -0600

I agree that we need people to get out and vote!!! However, will Seniors and Property Owners really benefit from Mueller? This humanitarian is NOT a CONSERVATIVE. I challenge you to find him on any Republican voting lists. He will be a rubber stamp for the superintendent as proven during a public comment session of a School Board meeting (of which he was ASKED to come and sing praise of the administration).

And The Winners Are . . . .

ThinkingOutLoud — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:21:57 -0600

And The Winners Are . . . .

For Immediate Release
Eden Prairie, November 3, 2009

With an unusually high turnout for an odd-year election, it appears that the big winners are Eden Prairie property owners and seniors. Jacobus, Willey and Mueller all emerged with runaway victories in the EP School Board race, signalling a change in how the citizens of Eden Prairie view the role of the school board. It appears that the citizens actually want the board to provide direction for the school district and restore fiscal responsibility on behalf of the community.

Okay, okay - you can all see that this is written before election results are even available . . . . . but it could actually come true. All it would take is for Eden Prairie property owners and seniors to show up at the polling stations today - they are open until 8:00pm. Let's go for it, EP!

I am not an activist - but

Willey4EPSchoolBoard — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:31:22 -0600

I am not an activist - but have become one recently. I spent the majority of the past 20 years focused on my family and my career. Although I voted in all the major national and state elections, I did not make enough time myself to be educated regarding our own school board. All that changed this year when I started attending board meetings. I read the entire board governance policy and began educating myself on national, state, and district financials. I started talking with other parents who more often than not shared my families views on education, the need for more communication, and a concern that we were losing focus.

I came to the conclusion that we needed more focus, more accountability, and more transparency. I believe that closing the achievement gap is a good goal, but that we needed a broader vision for our schools. We are a very good school system and have alot to be proud of. We can and should, however, be a great school system. Our parents and community need more dialogues and less monologues. We need to focus more energy on our common history and shared values.

There are three seats or 1/3rd of the board seats up for grabs. This is the time to vote in people who will ask critical questions - without being critical. This is the time for us to raise the bar of expectations. In many ways, this election is not about board members or the Superintendent or even our teachers - it is about giving our children the ultimate gift - a love and thirst for life long learning.

I encourage everyone to get the word out - lets show how democracy works - even in an off year election!