Dear EMID Families,
It's been quite a week! We can feel the energy from the many e-mails and letters you have shared. A special thank you to parent Eric Celeste for putting together the "EMID Families" website. The site has given a focal point for our energy and voices. Whatever happens Tuesday, we hope we can continue to share with each other our thoughts and ideas about the future of EMID. (Visit the site at www.emidfamilies.org.)
If you sent a letter to ISD 622 recently, please forward a copy to Robyn Lee-Dobbs, the Family and Community Involvement Coordinator at Harambee <<robyn.dobbs@emid6067.net>> We would like to keep a copy on record.
Many families have shared many important and passionate ideas this week. We wish the 622 Board was providing more time to speak at the Open Forum Tuesday. But the Board has allotted only 30 minutes for open comments. Each speaker is given 2-4 minutes depending on the number of speakers. This time will also be shared with other hot-button items that 622 has on its agenda. Frankly, we just don’t know how much time we actually will have. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE OUR SPEAKERS WISELY AS TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.
Rep. Slawik has Agreed to Speak
State Rep. Nora Slawik, who represents Oakdale and Maplewood, has agreed to speak on EMID’s behalf Tuesday. Rep. Mindy Greiling, Roseville, who chairs the K-12 Education Finance Committee, also wanted to speak but has a prior commitment. So Rep. Slawik has agreed to speak on behalf of both legislators. Rep. Slawik would like to speak to the legislative perspective and the desegregation rule that may be changing during this legislative session. There is tension between the legislators and the school board members on the EMID issue. In the future, we encourage you to show your support for these legislators and remember how they stood up for EMID.
Open Forum at Tuesday's Meeting
If you are planning to speak at the Board meeting, plan to be at the District Education Center in North St. Paul at 6:00 p.m. We'll meet on the first floor, just past the Board Room, in the Faculty Lounge from 6-6:30. As a community, we need to decide which speakers can best represent our school. We would like to recommend here that we let Rep. Nora Slawik open with her comments. With any luck, we'll have time for 3-4 more speakers, although maybe more and maybe less. Speakers should have your comments timed to no longer than two minutes and be prepared to share with the group at 6:00. We don’t want to duplicate efforts. PLEASE remember that this is a group effort. If time permits we hope everyone who wants to speak will be able to do so. We will need to decide what order people will speak, noting that time may limit the number of speakers to be heard. At 6:30 we will give the names (in order) to Kim Cavallaro from District 622, who sets the agenda for speakers. Families coming to support the effort should arrive around 6:15.
In advance, thank you to all EMID families for your time, energy and commitment to this effort. It is ironic that on this day, Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, we are fighting his fight of integration.
District 622 had the insight 12 years ago to participate in EMID and become regional trailblazers in the integration effort. This was before there was a desegregation law. Let’s hope they will continue their partnership and not step back in time.
Working together for a common purpose,
District 622 Residents and EMID Families,
Jeff Syme, Harambee Site Council
Amy Rostron-Ledoux, Harambee Site Council
Robyn Lee-Dobbs, Family & Community Involvement Coordinator