Alysia Stewart gave permission for us to share this letter she sent to the 622 board on 20 January 2008.
I am the parent of a 3rd grade multi-racial student at Harambee Elementary. My daughter and I reside in District 622, but we have attended Harambee since Kindergarten. I feel that it would be a great loss for District 622 to withdraw from its affiliation with EMID 6067. Please, consider tabling your decision to withdraw from EMID this Tuesday. I think districts 622 and 6067 would benefit from a more thorough discussion of the task committee's findings regarding partnership with EMID, including having task members with vested interests of both districts present on the committee.
One question that I have not heard addressed surrounding the possible withdraw from EMID is that relating to WHY students are leaving district 622 in the first place. I believe this to be an important and information filled question and answer. Since 622 is interested in providing the best educational services to all students, then it seems a fitting place to start would be to find out why students are leaving for EMID instead of staying in 622. For my family, once I learned about EMID - I RAN there to enroll because of who EMID is and what EMID offers through their year-round, multi-age classrooms, and integrated programming! My child would not be one of two or three kids of color in a classroom throughout her entire day.
As I mentioned, my daughter is multi-racial, so for me as her Caucasian parent, not only is high quality education important, but I need her to be in a learning environment that allows her to develop a healthy self-concept. If my daughter does not see other children and staff who look like her - how can she truly accomplish that and, in turn, learn to her fullest potential? She needs not only to be safe at school, as that should be a given, but she needs to feel a sense of belonging and that she is embraced and valued for the cultural differences she represents.
As far as 622 being titled "racially isolated" - the district may be racially isolated, but your each of your schools are NOT! The schools in 622 that have delivered your racially isolated status are schools that are in close proximity to affordable subsidized housing. While this is a much needed community resource, it was intended to serve people of struggling socioeconomic status. I think we are all familiar with the reality of how people from a lower socioeconomic status are treated. Again, as a mother of a strong student, who is also a child of color, I do not want my child attending a school where she may be stereotyped. At last week's study session, one of the 622 Board members referred to the students of EMID who may be in the achievement gap and potentially returning to 622 as becoming "our burden." Prime example of why I do not want my child in this district and want other children of color to be able to experience the positive education and support at EMID! It prepares our children for the world they will face by instilling strong education and strong, healthy self-concepts!
Furthermore, I would like to challenge each of you to spend a day with peers in an environment (work or school) that is "racially isolated" - where there are only 20% other Caucasian people - everyone else is of color, including authorities. See how you feel at the end of the day. See how much you were able to accomplish and learn throughout your day. See how safe you felt and what other feelings crept into your thoughts that day. Until you have done that, you cannot possibly know how it feels to attend school in a racially isolated district as your own. Once you have done that, I truly believe that you will discover a newly found, deeper appreciation for EMID!
An additional question I have is how are the STUDENTS in district 622 being prepared for embracing their racially isolated status. Racism is alive and well - the papers are full stories of racist acts occurring in educational settings. How will 622 support their students of color? What is being done currently with the de-segregation money you receive and how will another $600,000 from EMID impact those efforts? Furthermore, are you aware of the legislative push that is coming between February 12 and May 19 regarding clarification of the language dictating for what the desegregation funds may and may not be utilized? Another reason to table the decision to withdraw from EMID until this legislative debate is complete.
By disbanding the partnership with EMID, your staff will lose access to the multi-cultural resources and trainings that are available to them currently. Who and who better qualified, if not EMID, to work with you in your quest to become culturally competent and devise a new collaboration as effective as that of EMID? The Office of Equity and Integration through EMID would seem a natural aid in this time of preparation with district 622's changing demographics. However, while your district "figures it out" - I will not have my child enrolled in your schools during your time of "uncertainity." There is no plan in place for the new collaborative, for the integration funds, for diversifiying all schools within your district, for training all staff to be culturally competent, or for preparing your 9000 Caucasian students to be racially isolated. If 622 were to form a new collaborative with Stillwater and Mahtomedi - how would that benefit the students of color in 622 who need 622's support and 622's student acceptance? Stillwater and Mahtomedi are no where near racially isolated and therefore have little in integration to offer the powerhouses of 622 and 6067.
Lastly, I understand that through the State of Minnesota's open enrollment policy my student, as well as others would be able to continue to attend EMID schools - just without the bus ride there and home. I would like to mention that this, to me, further displays a lag in the cultural competence of 622. By that I mean, while it is a great concept of open enrollment with parent's transporting - it is not a great reality! Many of the families who would like their children enrolled at an EMID school lack the availability of transportation to make it happen. If the transportation itself isn't the issue, many more struggle with non-flexible work hours in lower paying jobs with poor benefits and would be unable to transport their child(ren). With that being said, Superintnedent Patty Phhillips assumed that Harambee and Crosswinds will be "just fine" with 622 withdrawing its partnership because students at those schools will likely remain there. I beg to differ based on power and opportunity alone! I would love for 622 to remain open to providing the best educational services AND choices to ALL of its students!
Thank you for your time! And thank you for the past years of innovative collaboration! Please slow down the decision in withdrawing from EMID. Better yet, remain partners with EMID and allow EMID to work with you within the collaborative as you prepare for your future and the future of the children of District 622!