May 13, 2020
Last night, the MPS School Board voted to approve the Comprehensive District Design (CDD).
Now the real work begins. Implementation over the next 2-3 years is what will make the difference in our district’s ability to provide a well-rounded education for all students.
Please remember that NO STRUCTURAL CHANGES, such as grade reconfiguration or staff moves, WILL GO INTO EFFECT UNTIL FALL OF 2021, one year from the upcoming school year.
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We will, however, begin making needed updates to our academic programming in the upcoming school year, including purchasing new math curriculum and fine-tuning our K-2 literacy focus.
We realize there are many questions community members are eager to have answered and we will address those in the coming weeks.
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By the end of this school year, we plan on sending each school community information on how their school will be impacted, if at all, for the 2021-22 school year.
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By this fall, we also plan on unveiling a new school choice timeline so families will have plenty of information and time to consider their school options for the 2021-22 school year.
Most importantly, we look forward to sharing ways in which the MPS community and its partners can take active roles in planning and implementing the many elements of the CDD over the next 2-3 years.
But right now, our number one priority is to stay focused on Distance Learning and the remainder of the current school year.
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Followed by a refreshed and re-imagined summer school (more info on that to come out the week of May 18).
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And, depending on direction from state officials—a successful re-entry into our schools and classrooms in the fall. We will share more details on all of this as soon as we can.
We know our community has been divided over the CDD, including about having this vote during Distance Learning.
The biggest challenge presented by COVID-19 – the inequity of education even with Distance Learning – illustrates why the CDD is necessary and cannot wait. The CDD is a collectively-developed response to the fact that our school district is not equitably serving all students—even in schools where some students are doing well.
The Board’s vote is really just the beginning.
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The vote adopted the CDD as the MPS strategic plan that sets forth our goals, vision, and decision-making framework for the future.
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Specific programming, practices and structural changes included in the CDD will require planning and implementation steps that further engage MPS staff and the community and provide ongoing accountability reports to the Board and the public.
It will now take collective effort to ensure that we are successful in providing academic success for all MPS students.