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Some
of the challenges: facing our district -
1.
Uncertainty of State funding for schools (directly affects class size
and programs).
2.
Unfunded Federal Mandates
No
Child Left Behind. I support reconfiguring this law to make it a
supportive law, not a punitive law.
Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Authorized in 1975,
reauthorized in 2004, provides access to a free, quality education
to children with disabilities. The federal law included a commitment
to pay 40% of the average student cost, but has failed to do so. The
national average reimbursement is at 17%. I support fully funding
this law. All our children deserve success.
3.
Maintaining High Student Achievement
Arthur
Reynolds of the University of Minnesota has focused on the outcomes
of a 2005 study of Chicago Public Schools.
In
summary, the best practices for closing the achievement gap, in order
of effectiveness are:
High
Quality Preschool
Student
Mobility / Stability
Teacher
quality / Instruction
Parent
Involvement
Small
Class Sizes
All
Day Kindergarten
As
your school board representative, I would have direct responsibility
and will advocate for teacher quality and instruction, small class
sizes and all day kindergarten.
High
Quality preschool is available through St. Louis Park's Lifelong
Learning program, and is essential to closing the gap. As your
school board representative, I will advocate for sufficient space
for the program, early identification of at-risk children, and ease
of placement for those children.
I
would look to our partnership with the city and the state to address
student mobility.
Parent
involvement could be increased with the inclusion of a parent
support center in each school, or in a centralized location. This
would be a opportunity for parents to find support, inclusion,
education, language instruction and homework help.
4.
Open Communication
I
will continue to provide an open line of communication to the parents
and citizens of the community. In times of potential conflict or
controversy, the best course of action is providing timely, accurate
and factual information.
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