Saint Paul Public Schools is a school district that operates in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Saint Paul Public Schools is the state's largest school district and serves approximately 38,380 students. The district runs 67 different schools including 48 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 7 high schools, 3 alternative schools and one special education school. The district also employs over 6,500 teachers and staff. The entire school district also participates in the University of Minnesota's College in the Schools program. The school district also oversees community education programs for pre-K and adult learners, the Community Education program offers classes and services such as Early Childhood Family Education, GED Diploma, language programs and various learning opportunities for community members of all ages. In 1993, St. Paul became the first city in the U.S. to sponsor and open a charter school, now found in most states across the nation. Saint Paul is currently home to 21 charter schools. In 2006, the St. Paul Public Schools celebrated its 150th anniversary. Notable graduates of St. Paul Public Schools include former U.S. Supreme Court justicesHarry Blackmun and Warren Burger, civil rights leaderRoy Wilkins, creator of the Peanuts cartoon strip Charles M. Schulz, and many others from various professions and among notable achievements.
Demographics
The district has students from families speaking 70 different languages, although only 4 languages are used for most school communication. Those languages are English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali. 73.91% of students are students of color. 69% of the district's students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 17% of students are considered Special Education and 40% of students are ELL. The school district currently receives $22 million a year in desegregation funding from the state. However, because of two United States Supreme Court cases, schools are no longer allowed to assign students to schools based on race. As of 2001, the district had 46,000 students. About one third of them were Hmong. At the time, about 13,000 of the Hmong students received English as a second language services. In 2002, of all of the American school districts, St. Paul had the largest Hmong student population.
Governing body
The governing body of the school district is the seven-member Board of Education. The Board of Education then appoints a Superintendent who is responsible for the general supervision of the school district. Board of Education is elected during Saint Paul's general municipal elections. Board members are elected every two years in odd-numbered years and serve staggered four-year terms. The school board elections are technically nonpartisan, however most candidates seek and advertise party endorsements. The current Superintendent is Joe Gothard. The current Board of Education members are:
In Fall of 1994, Saint Paul Public Schools started the Limited English Achievement Program as a school completely dedicated to English language learners aged 16 to 24 years. In 2005, the school's name was changed to "International Academy - LEAP" to reflect a more direct meaning for the school. These are students whose needs often do not match the offerings provided in traditional high school.
iPad Program
iPads were rolled out to most schools in the 2014-2015 school year. Students in grades K-2 are provided with an iPad Mini 3rd generation and an STM Folio Case. Students in grades 3-5 are provided with a 9.7” iPad and STM Folio Case. K-5 students must leave their iPad in a charging cart at the end of each day. Students in grades 6-12 and staff are provided with a 9.7” iPad and a Logitech Rugged Combo 2. Students in these grades are allowed to bring their iPads home, and have full access to all services. These iPads are used to access Schoology, GSuite, and Infinite Campus. Student iPads are heavily restricted using a MDM Profile and iBoss.
