At The Table @ The Minneapolis Foundation

For the last few months, many of my blog posts have focused on education.  This was in large part because The Minneapolis Foundation is deeply committed to transforming education and supporting reform that enables all young people to learn and thrive.  This can be seen in our latest strategic plan and the topics of the 2009 Minnesota Meeting season.

As a result education is often the topic of conversation around our office “water cooler”.  I find the conversations interesting, but often respond with some distance. Given that my little guy is only 18 months old, I assume that the public school system will all be different by the time he is in school so I’ll just worry about it then.  Recently a colleague set me straight, when she said, “School change is slow.  The impact of any changes being made now will be greater on your son or future kids, than my kids who are in 6^th and 9^th grades.”

So, now I am paying attention!

When I invited Dr. Bill Green and Suzanne Kelly, Superintendent and interim Superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools and Saint Paul Public Schools respectively, to lead a discussion last week entitled, “Act Now to Build the Future” I challenged them to make the case for young professionals to start paying attention to the schools now.  Since most in the room did not have school-aged children, or didn’t have children at all, it was really important to frame the relevance.  Bernadeia Johnson, Deputy Superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools, also joined the panel.

Participants Christian Zepeda, Kari Anderson and Molly Gillin

Dr. Green, a historian by nature and attorney by training, made the case by educating us on Minnesota’s long legacy of public education for all.  In the 1870’s a law was enacted that desegregated Minnesota schools and guaranteed that all children regardless of race, religion or ethnicity have access to education.  He also shared a tale from the same time period in which Minnesota officials searched for more teachers.  They sent letters to cities along the east coast in attempts to allure teachers to come to Minnesota.  Noting that it was not common practice in the east, those letters specified that interested teachers must be willing to teach students of all races and ethnicities.

The legacy of ensuring education for all was illustrated in the voting booths as recently as 2008.  Residents of Minneapolis approved the Strong Schools, Strong City Referendum which generates approximately $60 million per year for Minneapolis Public Schools.  The referendum and called for a tax increase of approximately $17 per month for the average homeowner in Minneapolis – the largest tax increase for schools to date. What was most striking about the referendum passing is that 71% of voters supported the referendum even though only 20% the city’s residents have children in the district.

Clearly our history illustrates that we are a community dedicated to our youth.  They are our future and their success has a positive correlation with our community’s prosperity.  Regardless of the source of your interest in public school – your concern for your property value, your dependence on the future workforce, or your hopes for the children in your neighborhood – what matters is that we steward the legacy passed down to us and pay attention to our schools.

How do you want to advance the legacy?