Saint Paul Public Schools
Encyclopedia
Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is a school district
that covers all of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota
.
Saint Paul supports a robust network of publicly-funded primary and secondary schools.
Saint Paul Public Schools is the state's second largest school district and serves approximately 42,000 students. The district runs 67 different schools including 48 elementary school
s, 8 middle school
s, 7 high school
s, 3 alternative school
s and one special education
school. The district also employs over 6,500 teachers and staff. The entire school district also participates in the University of Minnesota
's College in the Schools program.
The school district also oversees community education programs for pre-K and adult learners, including Early Childhood Family Education, GED
Diploma, language programs and various learning opportunities for community members of all ages.
In 1993, St. Paul became the first city in the U.S. to sponsor and open a charter school
, now found in most states across the nation. Saint Paul is currently home to 21 charter schools.
In 2006, the St. Paul Public Schools celebrated its 150th anniversary. Notable graduates of St. Paul Public Schools include former U.S. Supreme Court justices Harry Blackmun
and Warren Burger, civil rights leader Roy Wilkins
, creator of the Peanuts
cartoon strip Charles M. Schulz
, and many others from various professions and among notable achievements.
, Spanish
, Hmong
and Somali
. 73.91% of students are students of color. 69% of the district's students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 17% of students are considered Special Education and 40% of students are ELL (English Language Learners). The school district currently receives $22 million a year in desegregation funding from the state. However because of two United States Supreme Court
cases, schools are no longer allowed to assign students to schools based on race.
The governing body of the school district is the seven-member Board of Education. The Board of Education then appoints a Superintendent
who is responsible for the general supervision of the school district.
Board of Education is elected during Saint Paul's general municipal elections. Board members are elected every two years in odd-numbered years and serve staggered four-year terms. The school board elections are technically nonpartisan
, however most candidates seek and advertise party endorsements. The entire school board is endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
, with the exception of Jean O'Connell, who ran as a an independent.
The current Superintendent is Dr. Valeria Silva.
The current Board of Education members are:
learners (ELL) aged 16 to 24 years. In 2005, the school's name was changed to "International Academy - LEAP
" to reflect a more direct meaning for the school. These are students whose needs often do not match the offerings provided in traditional high school
.
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
that covers all of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
.
Saint Paul supports a robust network of publicly-funded primary and secondary schools.
Saint Paul Public Schools is the state's second largest school district and serves approximately 42,000 students. The district runs 67 different schools including 48 elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s, 8 middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s, 7 high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s, 3 alternative school
Alternative school
Alternative school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides part of alternative education. It is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional...
s and one special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
school. The district also employs over 6,500 teachers and staff. The entire school district also participates in the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
's College in the Schools program.
The school district also oversees community education programs for pre-K and adult learners, including Early Childhood Family Education, GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
Diploma, language programs and various learning opportunities for community members of all ages.
In 1993, St. Paul became the first city in the U.S. to sponsor and open a charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
, now found in most states across the nation. Saint Paul is currently home to 21 charter schools.
In 2006, the St. Paul Public Schools celebrated its 150th anniversary. Notable graduates of St. Paul Public Schools include former U.S. Supreme Court justices Harry Blackmun
Harry Blackmun
Harold Andrew Blackmun was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 until 1994. He is best known as the author of Roe v. Wade.- Early years and professional career :...
and Warren Burger, civil rights leader Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins' most notable role was in his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ....
, creator of the Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
cartoon strip Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
, and many others from various professions and among notable achievements.
Diversity
The district is extremely diverse with students from families speaking 70 different languages, although only 4 languages are used for most school communication. Those languages are EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Hmong
Hmong language
Hmong or Mong is the common name for a dialect continuum of the West Hmongic branch of the Hmong–Mien/Miao–Yao language family spoken by the Hmong people of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, northern Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos...
and Somali
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
. 73.91% of students are students of color. 69% of the district's students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 17% of students are considered Special Education and 40% of students are ELL (English Language Learners). The school district currently receives $22 million a year in desegregation funding from the state. However because of two United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
cases, schools are no longer allowed to assign students to schools based on race.
Governing body
The governing body of the school district is the seven-member Board of Education. The Board of Education then appoints a Superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
who is responsible for the general supervision of the school district.
Board of Education is elected during Saint Paul's general municipal elections. Board members are elected every two years in odd-numbered years and serve staggered four-year terms. The school board elections are technically nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
, however most candidates seek and advertise party endorsements. The entire school board is endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, with the exception of Jean O'Connell, who ran as a an independent.
The current Superintendent is Dr. Valeria Silva.
The current Board of Education members are:
- Elona Street-Stewart (Chair)
- John Brodrick (Vice-Chair)
- Keith Hardy (Clerk)
- Jean O'Connell (Treasurer)
- Anne Carroll (Director)
- Kazoua Kong-Thao (Director)
- Vallay Varro (Director)
Elementary schools (K-6)
|
Middle schools (7-8)
- Battle Creek Middle School
- Capitol Hill Gifted and Talented Magnet (1-8)
- Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet
- Hazel Park Middle School Academy
- Highland Park Junior High School
- Humboldt Junior High School
- Linwood-Monroe Arts Plus
- Murray Junior High SchoolMurray Junior High School (Minnesota)Murray Junior High School is a junior high school and a former high school. The school is part of the Saint Paul Public Schools.-History:In February 1926 Murray opened as a neighborhood school with 13 classrooms and a gym. Grades K-3 and 7-9 were taught with a total of 200 students enrolled. In...
- Open School (K-12)
- Ramsey Junior High School
- Washington Technology Middle
High schools (9-12)
- Arlington Senior High SchoolArlington Senior High SchoolArlington Senior High School is a public high school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is located north of Downtown Saint Paul on Rice Street, west of Interstate 35E in the city's North End neighborhood. The school enrolled 875 students in grades 9-12 and has the capacity to enroll 2,000...
- Central Senior High SchoolCentral High School (Saint Paul, Minnesota)Central High School of Saint Paul, is the oldest high school in the state of Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866 in downtown Saint Paul, Central has educated many leaders in business, government, literature, arts, sciences, and education throughout the state of Minnesota and the United States...
- Como Park Senior High SchoolComo Park Senior High SchoolComo Park Senior High School is a public high school located in the Lake Como area of Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving grades nine through twelve. Along with six other public high schools, Como Park comprises the Saint Paul Public Schools...
- Harding Senior High SchoolHarding Senior High School (St. Paul, Minnesota)Harding Senior High School is a public comprehensive high school located on the East Side of Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school is one of six high schools in the Saint Paul Public School District and is the largest high school in the city of Saint Paul with enrollment at approximately 2400...
- Highland Park Senior High SchoolHighland Park High School (Minnesota)Highland Park Senior High School is a public secondary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States serving grades 9 through 12. It is located in the Highland Park neighborhood....
- Humboldt Senior High SchoolHumboldt Senior High SchoolHumboldt Senior High School is a public high school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota which serves students in grades 9-12. The school is the smallest of the seven high schools in the Saint Paul Public Schools district with an enrollment of 858 students. It is the only high school located on the...
- Johnson Senior High SchoolJohnson Senior High School (St. Paul, Minnesota)Johnson Senior High School is a comprehensive high school for grades 9 to 12 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. Originally named Cleveland High School, the school was renamed after Minnesota governor John A. Johnson in 1911. Johnson is the second oldest high school in the Saint Paul Public Schools...
- Open School (K-12)
LEAP - International Academy
In Fall of 1994, Saint Paul Public Schools started the Limited English Achievement Program (LEAP) as a school completely dedicated to English languageEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
learners (ELL) aged 16 to 24 years. In 2005, the school's name was changed to "International Academy - LEAP
International Academy - LEAP
International Academy - LEAP is an Area Learning Center high school for English Language Learners that is part of the Saint Paul Public Schools system in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in Fall of 1994 by Jeff Dufresne and Sandra Hall as a high school for newly arrived immigrants to the...
" to reflect a more direct meaning for the school. These are students whose needs often do not match the offerings provided in traditional high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
.