MPS CDD #1 Comprehensive Districtwide Design

31 January, 2020

The administration of Minneapolis Public Schools has been developing a “Comprehensive Districtwide Design” (CDD) for a couple of years. The reasons given for this have included

  • The present configuration is unsustainable, especially transportation costs
  • A desire to increase integration
  • A wish to address academic and other disparities

The present timeline for this aims for a vote by the Minneapolis Board of Education at its April 14th, 2020 meeting. According to protocol, a final design must be provided to the board one month before the final vote, that is, at its March 10th meeting and protocol again requires that meeting materials must be provided to the Board one week before a meeting. In other words, by March 3rd the final proposal will come to the Board. Thus, from the time of this writing slightly over 4 weeks remain until the proposal should be finalized.

The Administration’s January 28th presentation can be found at this link. And video of that meeting can be found here. Community comments about the process to that point given at the Board’s January 14th meeting can be found here starting at 34:13.

The list of “Listening and Info Sessions” can be found at this link (note: to date these sessions have been primarily district staff presenting the model with some responses to written questions submitted by the audience but chosen by the administration. These have not been opportunities for individuals to speak aloud to the administration and their neighbors.)

Community members have provided critique of the plan. A slide deck review of research on K-8 Schools can be found here and a shorter version at this link.

A critique of the disconnect between the administration’s rhetoric and the actual contents of the plan can be found here, and a more detailed critique of the administration’s claims with regard to integration and more can be found at this address.

Please let me know of other sources and resources of interest with respect to the CDD.