Saint Paul Public Schools begins dialogue with West Side community about the future of Humboldt Junior High School

Saint Paul, Minn. - Saint Paul Public Schools last week held the first in a series of three meetings this month regarding the future of Humboldt Jr. High School. In a staff meeting and at a West Side community leaders meeting, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen and Humboldt Junior High Principal Tim Williams outlined the status of the school and options being considered for making changes to revitalize it.

A public meeting on Wednesday, October 15, at 5:30 p.m. at Humboldt Junior High will be held with school families, West Side residents and Humboldt supporters to share the same information and broaden the dialogue.

The changes being discussed for Humboldt Junior High are tied to two key issues affecting school districts across the state of Minnesota: The school's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status according to the federal No Child Left Behind Law and the structural changes needed in the school district as a whole due to the decline of the city's school-age population. Humboldt Junior's AYP status was recently changed to "Pre-Restructuring," which requires the school and district to make intensive and far-reaching interventions to revamp the operation and governance of the school.

The options below are being considered for Humboldt Junior High. They are part of a year-long conversation and study into large-scale system changes throughout the district:

·    significant changes in current staff and governance;
·    further development of the Environmental Studies Program;
·    continue seeking a strategy/partner to stabilize and increase enrollment, as well as provide long-term stable funding;
·    possible expansion of grades served to include grade six.

The large-scale changes are needed district-wide to ensure the future success of the school district and the students it serves. West Side schools are among the first schools being studied as the school district begins its comprehensive assessment of schools district-wide.

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