District 197 Strategic Redesign Advisory Committee Moving Forward

Dozens of community representatives, School Board members, administrators and other stakeholders gathered at Tuesday night ready to tackle a challenge: assessing how the district can increase education quality with decreasing funds.

ISD 197’s Strategic Redesign Advisory Committee (SRAC) is tasked with meeting, discussing and eventually making district improvement recommendations to the school board in December.

Over forty individuals ranging from education experts to parents make up the assemblage. A non-profit organization, Education Evolving, is facilitating the redesign process.

The committee was formed in the wake of contentious budget negotiations for the 2011-2012 school year. As state and federal funds wane, school districts like District 197 are re-evaluating how to provide the best education for less money.

SRAC held its first meetings this summer, and will meet throughout the fall to focus their suggestions for the Board. 

In addition to meetings, SRAC hosts an online forum where they discuss ideas and share data. Both meetings and the online forum are open to the public, and community involvement is encouraged.

“We’re hoping by the end of this very short process, we will have achieved some level of community consensus and agreement on the direction of the district,” explained board member Mark Spurr. “We have a wonderful group here, and people know their responsibility to gauge the community’s desires and represent their neighbors as well as themselves. At the end of the day, we want to know that the community played a part in the decisions being made.”

Curtis Johnson of Education Evolving credits the school board for assembling the committee.

“This is really an act of courage on the part of the Board,” said Johnson. “Many boards would move forward with what they think is best, but these folks are going the extra step to make sure the community is engaged.”

Tuesday’s meeting provided a glimpse of SRAC’s process to date. After reaffirming the group’s goal to provide a brief list of recommendations to the Board this winter, SRAC focused on three facets of redesign as they determine the best—and most cost effective—options for adding to or changing education in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan School District. Personalization of the learning process, adding opportunities to students’ learning portfolios, and ways to save or find revenue were each discussed at length in small groups. 

On Tuesday, SRAC members appeared to be enthusiastic about the complex task of improving education with less money.

Said Johnson of the process, “This is a bold maneuver to fix the roof before it leaks.”