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Since Senator Day said Mpls. and St. Paul schools “suck” I have been sick to my stomach.  And busy.  I have been doing a lot of research and I want to share it with you to clear up some of the misperceptions that are out there and that are very dangerous.  Here are some of them:

1. Minneapolis' high school graduation rate is 78% (not under 50% as he shouted).
   
   
2. On the recent state-mandated education tests schools in Minneapolis that have 30 to 50% of their students living in poverty scored as well, and in many cases better, than the average score of Owatonna public schools (which has an average poverty rate of 30%).
   
   

3.   Minneapolis public schools with poverty rates below 30% have scores similar to wealthy area 
      suburbs – in fact the school in Minneapolis with the lowest poverty rate (12%) has basically the 
      same test scores as Edina schools.  Let me also be clear that MPS schools that do not have
      high numbers of poor kids DO NOT get compensatory money and get the basic state funding
      formula. - detail -

Here's what else I've been doing: The below letter will be printed in the Owatonna newspaper on Sunday (they called me tonight).  I am in Doug Grow’s column that will be out on Saturday and I have written to: Sen Day, the Governor, the entire board of the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce, all the school principals in Owatonna, the Rochester newspaper, the Strib.  I called Jeff Davidman of the Governor's staff and requested that the Governor respond to my letter, affirm Minneapolis' children and repudiate Senator Days' language and sentiment.  I told him that I care about all of Minnesota's children - in Owatonna and in Minneapolis.  I asked Jeff Davidman to call me the minute he's talked with the Governor.   He said he would.  (However, to be honest, when I asked Jeff Davidman if he knew what Senator Day said about Mpls and St. Paul schools last weekend he said he didn't know what Sen. Day said; and when I told him that Sen. Day said that Mpls and St. Paul schools "suck", Jeff Davidman laughed.)

Ellen Samuelson Young
Parents United Network

Letter to Elected Officials

Doug Grow’s column