Minneapolis
Minneapolis Public Schools pursued an extensive public engagement process to determine how to cut the budget deficit and use the new stimulus funds. Initial ideas included using stimulus funds for early childhood education, special education, and reducing class size.
The district plans to use IDEA stimulus dollars to fund special education program review, some professional development, and non-reimbursable special education staff benefits. The district also expects to receive $1.65 million in school-improvement grants and plans to take advantage of $21.7 million per year for two years of Qualified School Construction Bonds.
St. Paul
St Paul Public Schools has a team of administrators working on stimulus planning, focusing on the question, “What can we do in two years to improve the system?” The stimulus team has been conducting numerous community presentations, and has already set up financial tracking systems for stimulus funds. The district will use stimulus funds six different areas.
The first is to conduct a comprehensive audit of Pre-K-12 curricula to ensure the rigor of academic courses.
The second will advance elementary reform efforts including job-embedded professional development to ensure fidelity of program implementation; improve the current coaching model; and enhance systematic tiered interventions for literacy, math, and behavior.
The third area is designed to advance secondary reform efforts, such as a two-year instructional coaching surge to provide intense support for tiered interventions (math, literacy, and behavior); accelerate development and consistent implementation of district curriculum (literacy and math); and identify and implement research-based content literacy reform (READ 180, AMP Reading, EDGE Reading, etc.).
The fourth area will fund interventions for struggling students: Response to Intervention (RTI), Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS), etc.
The fifth area invests in professional development by developing and implementing a monitored structure of teacher placement and by realigning staff resources to improve support to teachers in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process.
Finally, the funding will be invested in data systems. Aligned data systems would help the district to better track and evaluate student performance; monitor and reform curriculum and instructional practices; review and redesign staff development efforts; improve compliance; and better manage special education staffing.
St. Paul Public Schools will receive about $18 million in Title I funds and approximately $11 million in IDEA funds from the stimulus package. Most funds will be used to overhaul the curriculum, boost community partnerships, and design intervention systems that are capable of reducing referrals to special education.
The district will use approximately half of its Title I stimulus funding for school-level allocations, assuming a waiver of certain Title I requirements. It will use the remaining half for professional development initiatives in schools not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards. Specifically, funding will be used for both elementary and secondary school reform; elementary literacy efforts; and secondary school curriculum and instructional reform. In addition, funding will also support district wide interventions; teacher peer assistance and review (pending negotiations); cultural proficiency; Leadership and Learning Center partnership; and parent involvement and engagement activities.
St. Paul Public Schools also will use a portion of its IDEA stimulus funding to provide early intervening services, as part of the district’s efforts to support a pyramid of interventions in literacy, math, and behavior. Included will be work on new district wide benchmark assessments, progress monitoring assessments, and a district wide data management system to provide teachers and staff with real-time access to data on students and their performance.
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