School board adjusts three-year plan
 
Posted: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 10:01 am

Taylor Nachtigal, [email protected]

Rochester Public Schools likely will look at developing a 'care team' model next school year that would connect families with community resources.

The goal of the program would be to break down problems that affect a child's academic performance.

"The model is based on recruiting the 'navigator-type' person, who's aware of all the services that might be needed by a family," said Amy Eich, director of community education.

It was one of the topics addressed by the Rochester School Board on Tuesday as it revised its three-year work plan in collaboration with the district's three-year operational plan, It highlighted initiatives like the possibility of a digital learning policy, communicating with voters and class size.

State funding for the care team program might be a possibility, said Superintendent Michael Muñoz, comparing the initiative to the "Navigator" positions with the Northside Achievement Zone in Minneapolis, which "exists to permanently close the achievement gap and end generational poverty in North Minneapolis." Navigators help connect families to resources like early childhood care, housing and career and finance help.

"Nothing is definite, just a lot of conversation at this time," Muñoz said.

Class size

Staff-to-student ratios, especially in elementary classrooms, is an issue that many have raised in the last few months as the district pushed for a levy override that was approved by voters in a Nov. 3 referendum.

The board discussed adding class size as an item to be addressed in its three-year plan Tuesday, and the possibility of looking at short- and long-term solutions now.

"I'm really concerned about our staff-to-student ratio," said board member Jean Marvin. "And I'm especially concerned about some elementary buildings which are just bursting at the seams. I'm keenly aware of our fiscal limitations."

Assistant Superintendent Brenda Lewis said addressing class size would take more classrooms or a different space configuration. Boundary tweaking would be a short-term fix, said Lewis, but long-term, the district will need to think about an additional facility.

"There are some sites we have to do something about," Lewis said. "We have a great, great situation in our city where we continue to have more students coming in, and there's only so much boundary adjustment you can do in absence of a building."

"But I don't think right now even is soon enough to look at class size, and if there's anything that can be done in the short-term and then what has to be done long-term," Marvin said.

Muñoz raised concerns about being able to spend money to reduce class sizes because of the district's promise to voters that no budget cuts would be made until 2020 during the referendum campaign.

"When you're adding something, you have to take the money from somewhere," he said.

World's Best Workforce

Per state regulations, Rochester Public Schools approved its "World's Best Workforce" plan Tuesday, to make sure all students are "college and career ready," upon graduating high school.

The plan was approved Tuesday evening and includes a number of benchmarks for K-12 students, in order to track student achievement and more consciously address the achievement gap.

The plan will be posted to the district's website and submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education. It will undergo regular review by the Community Curriculum and Instruction Advisory Committee and annually by the school board.