Forum re: MPS

I'm sharing this link to a forum that someone from the Humphrey put together regarding MPS and the current debacle at Burroughs.

http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/mpls/messages/topic/2Ew4EaJu8W0amLTCPK0qm9

April 21 - closed door board meeting

Unfortunately, it was a closed door meeting and it sounds like we will remain in the dark. I emailed Tom Madden and this was his response:

Last night was a closed executive session to deal with personnel issues. Those, by law, have to be closed and taped/recorded as last night's meeting was. We are required by law to hold those tapes for three years. I am unsure offhand when they can be heard by the public, but know that it would not be prior to any formal action taken by the Board. Without referencing any particular incident in this email, usually and investigative process is undertaken with personnel matters. If at the end of that period the district recommends formal disciplinary action be taken, then the Board would vote (in closed executive session by law) to either accept or deny that recommendation.

While not knowing particulars of any situation is frustrating, I hope the general process definition above is at least somewhat helpful. Please call if you have other questions about our schools, processes or other matters regarding MPS.

Thank you,

Tom Madden
Chair, Minneapolis Board of Education

Notes from the Co-Chair of the Site Council at Burroughs regarding Mr. Cadotte

This e-mail contains several parts concerning the situation with Principal Tim Cadotte:

1. The official MPS notice that will go out to the community in three forms: in backpacks, via the Burroughs e-mail blast, and in the forthcoming Burroughs Bulletin.

2. An e-mail response that Bridget McGinnis and I sent to school board members (not including Chris Stewart) and top MPS administrators on Sunday, April 19.

3. Additional information not included in the official MPS notice.

4. My take on responses at this point in time (my personal opinion; i.e., NOT speaking on behalf of the Burroughs Site Council).

In addition, see StarTribune Metro section, Tuesday, April 21, 2009, Principal on leave after words with board member.

http://www.startribune.com/local/43321082.html?elr=KArks:DCiUnP::DE8c7PiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

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1. The official MPS notice.

April 21, 2009

Dear Families of Burroughs Community School,

We are committed to keeping you informed and want to make you aware of a recent situation involving your school. Tim Cadotte, principal at Burroughs, has been placed on an administrative leave of absence pending an investigation. Data privacy laws prevent me from sharing further information about this situation.

Marsha Seltz, a retired Minneapolis Public Schools principal formerly of Lake Harriet Community School, has agreed to serve the Burroughs community as interim principal until the matter has been resolved. We thank Mrs. Seltz for her assistance and welcome her to Burroughs.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at (612) 668-0140.

Sincerely,

Dr. Marianne Norris

Associate Superintendent

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2. E-mail response to MPS.

April 19, 2009

Dear Sir or Madam:

It has come to our attention that Tim Cadotte, principal of Burroughs Community School, has been summoned to appear before Deputy Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson on Monday morning, April 20, and may well be served with papers to place him on administrative leave.

It seems that this action is in response to a confrontation between School Board Member Chris Stewart and Mr. Cadotte on the afternoon of Friday, April 17 in the outer office at Burroughs. Mr. Stewart attacked Mr. Cadotte with aggressive language, including the charge of "racist." A heated exchange followed. Several witnesses can testify to the nature of the exchange.

Mr. Stewart's animus seems to be generated by his reaction to a statement the Burroughs Site Council made in response to the MPS initiative "Changing School Options." This public statement was openly arrived at by the Burroughs Site Council. The Site Council didn't see the statement as controversial in the least. It is a simple statement of Site Council priorities for MPS to consider as MPS restructures the district. MPS asked for input and feedback on its plans. This was the Site Council contribution to that effort.

In a survey of Burroughs parents conducted from April 13 - 17, 96.6% of the 465 Burroughs families who responded agreed with the Site Council statement.

For this effort, and the great demonstration of support in favor of it, to be met by charges of racism is dumbfounding. The claim is baseless and without merit. Those who engage in this sort of language engage in a form of intimidation designed to silence those with whom they disagree.

To imagine racist intent or racist content where it does not exist is bad enough. But to attack the Burroughs Site Council effort and Mr. Cadotte personally with this slander is beyond the bounds of civil discourse. Such behavior demeans the MPS reform effort, and it dishonors the offices and institutions of those who traffic in it.

To discipline Mr. Cadotte in any way for his connection to this benign Burroughs Site Council statement, or for his reaction to Mr. Stewart's baseless provocation, would be a travesty of justice.

Please see to it that your colleagues separate fact from fiction in dealing with Mr. Cadotte on Monday. Please encourage them to resolve this dispute amicably, so that we can return to civil discussion and debate about the important issues MPS has at hand.

Sincerely,

Kip Wennerlund

Burroughs Site Council Co-Chair

Bridget McGinnis

Burroughs PTA President

p.s. We have had no contact with Mr. Cadotte regarding this issue, and we are in no way acting at his direction. While the Forum lawyer, or MPS, may demand that he not involve Burroughs parents in this matter in any way, we, as parents, taxpayers, and loyal MPS supporters, do not operate under such constraints.

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3. Additional information: What else we know, and don't know.

Mr. Cadotte has been placed on paid administrative leave. This means he can't set foot in the building. He can't access his e-mail account. He can't talk to anyone about the situation until the process has run its course. From what I've been told, the process could last anywhere from days, to weeks, even months. Given that MPS has already placed an interim principal, it's probably going to take some time.

We don't know what if any "charges" have been made against Mr. Cadotte. We don't know when this information will become available. We don't know if MPS will be investigating only the incident with Mr. Stewart, or something else. I've heard a rumor (hopefully just a rumor) that there may be a "list" of issues. But clearly, the precipitating incident was the confrontation provoked by Mr. Stewart, and Mr. Cadotte would not be in his present predicament but for the reckless behavior of Mr. Stewart. Yet it is Mr. Cadotte who is now in professional limbo, and Mr. Stewart returns to the School Board to continue making important decisions for the district, free to toss around incendiary and slanderous language as he sees fit.

I have word that Tim is holding up OK under the circumstances. He understands that he has overwhelming support in the Burroughs community, and that a great many people are eager to do whatever they can to help him. He is under express instructions to do nothing to direct anybody regarding this matter. I am not acting at his direction. I have not communicated with him.

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4. My take on responses at this point in time (my personal opinion; i.e., NOT speaking on behalf of the Burroughs Site Council).

A great many people have been contacting me by phone and e-mail looking for ways to assist Mr. Cadotte. I apologize for no longer being able to respond to everyone individually. For what it's worth, here's my take on responding at this point in time.

First, as with the Hippocratic Oath, Do No Harm. We have already contacted the school board and MPS administrators on behalf of the Burroughs community (the e-mail included above). This lets them know that we are watching and paying attention to how this unfolds. Inundating them with more of the same likely won't improve the situation for Mr. Cadotte. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from making their own contacts. But please, first, realize that the top MPS administrators are the ones who are overseeing the present investigation and that they are the ones who will be recommending what, if any, course of action to take. The board of education would vote on any punishment that MPS might recommend. Therefore, I don't think it makes a lot of sense to fire off angry e-mails and phone calls to the very people who will be deciding Mr. Cadotte's fate.

Each individual has their own call to make on this. But in any contact, please consider whether you think the contact, and the tone of the contact, will help or hinder Mr. Cadotte's cause. Communicating with respect, and without making threats, will be more persuasive, in my view. Expect the generic response that this is a personnel matter under investigation, and therefore, they are unable to comment.

Second, there will be no coordinated response coming from the PTA or the Site Council at this time. Site Council, by nature of its makeup of parents, teachers, and administrators is limited in what it can do in terms of advocacy, particularly when it comes to something that would be seen as insubordination. There may come a time for a coordinated response outside of these school-connected institutions. That time may arrive sooner rather than later.

But for now, we need to get more information about the "charges," and the process. We have made clear to MPS that we are deeply concerned about this incident. The media is pursuing the story. Mr. Cadotte knows that the overwhelming majority of parents are in his corner.

.

Kip

--

Kip Wennerlund
5257 Irving Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55419-1127
phone: 612.285.1380
e-mail: kwennerlund@usiwireless.com

- Show quoted text -

Tuesday, April 21, 5:00-6:30
Special Board Meeting
This meeting is private to work out personnel issues.

I find this interesting. Anyone else?

New Scenarios Being Presented Tonight (incl. possible boundary changes)

There is a meeting at Burroughs tonight at 6:30. We will be getting new information on how the proposed school changes might affect Burroughs and the surrounding communities. It is at 6:30. Please try to attend.

We have learned that the district is considering three specific scenarios for dealing with the F2 Open area. As I understand, these scenarios are:

1) send F2 to Lyndale

2) send 1/2 of F2 to Lyndale and 1/2 to Burroughs

3) send F2 to Burroughs and send a portion current Burroughs' families to Kenny.

Scenario 3 obviously would involve moving current Burroughs' families to a new school. I heard that they would do so by moving the southern boundary (which is now, I believe, 54th) north to either the Creek or 50th. Families north of the new border would remain at Burroughs. Families south of the new border would go to Kenny.

Please plan on attending the meeting to hear about these scenarios and give input.

-Lisa Converse

Please use the comment option

For now, please share your thoughts and ideas by commenting. Stay tuned, there will be a more interactive system available soon through a forum site.

Tangletown Residents

Please share your comments on the proposed school changes. Currently, there are many ideas on the table. One possibility is for Tangletown residents to be eliminated from the Burroughs attendance zone. The prospect of this happening is unsettling to me.

When my husband and I bought our house four and a half years ago, we drove around with the school zone map looking at houses. We had a 15 month old and another child on the way. Despite the fact we were a few years out from sending our kids to school, we chose this neighborhood so we could have the opportunity to send our kids to Burroughs. We currently have a kindergartner at Burroughs and we have two other children who will enter kindergarten in 2010 and 2012. We love the sense of community we feel at Burroughs .

If you are unfamiliar with the proposed changes, please see the Minneapolis Public School website (the link is listed below). Another helpful website is the F2 blog (see link below). There have been several ideas and stories posted there. Some of which involve our neighborhood and our kids. We need to be the voice for our neighborhood. Please post any stories, ideas, insights, etc. that you may have. To do so, please use the comment feature on this site. I hope to develop a forum where we can all be posting.