MPS Strategic Planning Update

Board of Education meeting

June 26, 2007

CONFIDENTIAL

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DISCUSSION OVERVIEW

• Strategic planning progress update

• Key questions on strategic planning

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OVERVIEW OF PROGRESS ON KEY ACTIVITIES

Status

• Have confirmed diverse group of 17 members• Kickoff meeting held June 25

Launch Strategic Advisory Group

• In process of developing comprehensive communication plan • Developed concept of Community Connection Committee; will be kicking off group in Mid-July• Secured PR support from Padilla Speer Beardsley• Updates posted on website

Communications

• Collecting data and conducting preliminary analysis on operational, financial, and student performance trends

Data analysis

• In process of conducting conversations with experts on relevant reform strategies• Will explore best practices from other urban communities

Explore reform strategies

Market research and community engagement

• Launched surveys with staff; parents survey underway• Conducted focus groups with students, teachers, parents – more to come• Developing community engagement plan

Complete In progress

Details on following pages

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MARKET RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS UNDERWAY (1/2)

• Staff survey

• Principal interviews

• Teacher focus groups

• Staff interviews

• Student focus groups

Staff and Board members

Students

Activity

Participation

Completed Next steps

• 1,800 staff responses (29% response rate)

• ~15 complete

• 50 teachers

• Board members, superintendent, and management team

• N/A

• 5 scheduled

• Additional sessions w/ ~20 teachers

• Department leads

• ~100 students (grades 8 – 12)

• TBD

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MARKET RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS UNDERWAY (2/2)

• Parent survey – Survey questionnaire

complete and translated into 4 languages

– Developing marketing and support plan to ensure broad and diverse participation

• In-depth discussions with Parent Advisory Groups

• Parent and community discussion groups

Parents and community

• N/A

• DPAC, Area C

• ~15 community groups identified

• Send to ~30,000 current and former MPS parents (in mail early July)

• Area A, Area B

• Continue contacting community groups and schedule interviews/focus groups

Activity

Participation

Completed Next steps

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• Charters the effort• Makes key decisions• Receives regular updates and

major phase-end reviews• Sub-committee receives bi-

monthly updates

• Reviews emerging fact base• Endorses (or not) strategic

options & recommendations

• Collects data, community input and best practices

• Conducts analysis• Develops strategic options and

tests

Board of Education

Working Team (MPS/McKinsey)

Strategic Advisory Group (10 – 15 members)

Stakeholder inputCommunity Connection Committee (30 – 40 members)

• Provides input into process at key points

• Outreach vehicle to communicate process, status, and recommendations to community

Superintendent

THE PLANNING PROCESS IS STRUCTURED TO MAXIMIZE INPUT, COMMUNICATIONS, AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SUPPORT

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THE STRATEGIC ADVISORY GROUP WILL PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT TO PROCESS

• Board members, administration, and community leaders identified a diverse list of potential candidates

• Consists of ~16 members covering broad range of stakeholders from the district–Principals, teachers, labor–Parents, community members–Government, higher education –Business community/Itasca members

• Includes representation across Minneapolis regions, cultures, and ethnicities

• Members were selected based on strategic thinking capabilities, relevant experience, and in-depth knowledge of the community

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SAG MEMBER LIST

Ayan IsmailBill McCarthyBruce NicholsonEric Mahmoud

Jina Downwind

Kit HadleyMichael BoucherMike FavorOssie Davis BrooksSen. Patricia Torres RayPhil Davis Rev. Kelly ChatmanSteve KotvisSue MerrimanTad Piper

Tzianeng Vang

• District-wide Cultural Relations Coordinator• President Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council• CEO, Thrivent Financial; Itasca Project member• CEO, President and Co-Founder, SEED Academy/Harvest Prep

School• Hennepin County Strategic Initiatives and Community

Engagement; Minneapolis Indian Parent Committee; MPS parent• Director, Minneapolis Public Library• Teacher, South High and Metro State• Principal, North Community School• Principal, Lyndale Elementary• State Senator, Education Committee• President, MCTC• Pastor, Redeemer Lutheran Church• DPAC strategic planning committee; MPS parent• Teacher, Waite Park Elementary• Former CEO and Chairman, Piper Jaffrey; Itasca Project

member• Deputy Director, HAMAA; Edison graduate

Name Affiliation

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DISCUSSION OVERVIEW

• Strategic planning progress update

• Key questions on strategic planning

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KEY QUESTIONS ON STRATEGIC PLANNING

What is the timing of the strategic planning process?

What will the strategic planning process include?

How does strategic planning fit with other district decisions and initiatives?

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2

3

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Refine recommendations and design for implementation

THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS HAS MULTIPLE PHASES

Develop recommendations and overall strategy

May – November 2007Estimatedtiming

December 2007 – May 2008

Ongoing

Description • Establish common fact base through research and analysis

• Develop, refine and recommend strategic reform options

• Support Board in making decisions on adopting the recommendations

• Recommendations are forwarded from Board to the Administration for implementation

• Administration assigns to appropriate areas, with metrics and expectations

• Define recommendations with more specificity (as needed), design implementation plan and begin implementing

• Prepare for referendum

• Implement recommendations across district

• Time to implement and dependence on referendum will depend on recommendations

Implement

• What is the timing of the strategic planning process?1

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THE WORKING TEAM IS CURRENTLY DRIVING THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROCESS – DEVELOPING THE RECOMMENDATIONS

• What is the timing of the strategic planning process?1

1. Plan and launch

2. Establish common fact base

3. Develop and refine options for

change

4. Decide and act

Key Activities

• Interview key stakeholders to help scope effort

• Enlist members for Strategic Advisory and Communication Group

• Launch market research

• Gather data and information about district needs, performance, key trends, and best practices

• Understand existing programmatic and curricular initiatives

• Develop strategic options

• Test ideas with stakeholder

• Board adopts strategic direction for MPS

May June-July August-September October-November

• Stakeholder input

• Communications and building public awareness

Current activity

Refine recommendations and design for implementation

Develop recommendations and overall strategy

Implement

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THE MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE IN A CHALLENGING CYCLE

Competition

Finances

Quality

1 MPS has a quality problem – both real and perceived. Though some MPS schools are among the best in the state, MPS has a significant achievement gap by race and class. District leadership has been unstable and communication has been poor – exacerbating the problem

2 More students are opting out of the district. MPS has lost 24% of its students in 6 years – half to suburbs and half to charters

3 As students leave the district, funding drops proportionately. This creates new financial challenges (e.g., distribution of fixed costs) and compounds old ones

4 The district makes not only large, disruptive fixed cost cuts such as closing school buildings, but also variable cost cuts that affect everyone

5 Budget cuts exacerbate real and perceived quality of all MPS schools (e.g., higher class size) leading more students to leave and further limiting MPS’s ability to address preexisting quality challenges

• What will the strategic planning process include?2

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THE PLAN WILL ADDRESS A BROAD RANGE OF STRATEGIC QUESTIONS• What will the strategic planning process include?2

• How are students performing in MPS and options outside the district? • What drivers are most important to increasing student achievement? • How does MPS do on those drivers? How are other schools doing?• What are best practices

• What is the current picture of student enrollment in Minneapolis schools (MPS, charters, CIY, etc) and how has it changed?

• How are parents and families making decisions about school choice? How satisfied are they with their choices? What matters most?

• How are other external factors changing? How is funding likely to change?

• What is the business-as-usual forecast and where are opportunities?

Understand Minneapolis education environment

Build understanding of student achievement

Develop knowledge of financial situation and trends

Examples of areas to be explored • Choice/competition• Equity in resources, program, staff• Integration across grade-levels and optimization of

programs• Accountability• School experience beyond academics (e.g., safety,

learning environment)• Parent engagement• High achievement for all students• Financial stewardship• Leveraging community partnerships

Objectives Strategic questions

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STRATEGIC PLANNING WILL IMPACT (AND BE IMPACTED BY) MANY, BUT NOT ALL DISTRICT DECISIONS

Long Range Strategic Planning ProcessHigh level district-wide strategy

High School Design

Pre-existing targeted strategic initiatives(examples)

Long term facilities planning

Middle school reform

Magnet study

Other

Pre-existing strategic initiatives will inform and be informed by the strategic planning process

2007 – 2008 operating decisions Operational decisions

Strengthening organizational capabilities (e.g., accountability, communications)

Foundation

• How does strategic planning fit with other district decisions and initiatives?3