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Board hears results of community survey on draft district goals; public favors most topics, many want higher academic targets
Summary
District staff presented results from a second round of community outreach and 1,720 online responses on draft board‑initiated goals. Respondents mostly supported the proposed topics but many asked for higher targets for reading and math proficiency.
The Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education on Tuesday reviewed results from a second phase of community outreach on board‑initiated goals, including 1,720 online survey responses collected in March and April.
Superintendent staff and the research team reported that, overall, respondents supported the topics the board had selected—reading, math, graduation, civics, college and career readiness, enrollment, restorative practices and music/arts participation—but a sizable proportion of respondents asked the board to adopt higher numeric targets, especially for reading and mathematics proficiency.
District staff said the second‑phase survey drawn from parents, educators and community members produced stronger response rates than the first phase and that the largest stakeholder group among respondents were parents (57%), followed by educators (27%). Respondents who indicated the goals needed changes most often requested higher targets or alternative measurements rather than removal of goals entirely. Restorative practices drew the largest share of respondents who favored discarding a goal, though that was still a minority.
Board members discussed next steps: staff plans to prepare a draft resolution for the Committee of the Board and to return a formal goals package to the full board for approval next month. Several trustees said they prefer modest upward adjustments to some academic targets now, while reserving the opportunity to increase ambition later if the incoming superintendent proposes more aggressive strategies.
Ending: Administration will bring a draft resolution and recommended targets to the May Committee of the Board, incorporating community input; the full board is expected to consider adoption at the May regular meeting.
