MINNEAPOLIS — Dozens of parents and education reform activists took over a Minneapolis school board meeting on Tuesday, out of frustration with a strategic planning process that they worry will increase racial disparities.
"A couple of us made the decision, 'You know what? I don't think they're listening. So let's do this,'" said Khulia Pringle, who says she works as an educational and racial equity advocate for families in Minneapolis.
The issue at the center of the disruption, is a planning process known as Comprehensive District Design. It's a three year framework that's designed to bring educational opportunities to all MPS schools and students of all races and backgrounds.
The board is considering several options for district reorganization, in attempt to balance budget constraints with access to educational opportunities.
"We want to create better schools. That's the number one goal," said MPS board president Nelson Inz. "We want to hear dissenting voices, we want to build consensus, we want to work to find common ground."
On Tuesday, common ground appeared to be a long way off. The public input portion of the meeting ended with the takeover after some argued that they didn't have time to fully read the plan or what it really means for students.
"There's no teacher diversity, there's no multicultural curriculum," Pringle said. "You have all these issues and you have these plans that are supposed to address them and it's blurry. These are our kids. This is the formality of it. They have to say they've done some community engagement when I believe decisions have already been made."
Inz says that is not the case, but he says that belief, along with accusations of racism lobbed by some at the meeting, mean they have a lot of work to do.
"People are afraid that their communities are going to be ripped apart and I understand that, so we have to continue to hear them, listen to their issues and continue to hear them and build that trust," Inz said. "We want to see more integration, I heard people talking about that they thought we were going to create more segregation, that is not our goal. As the chair of the school board, that is not why I ran for school board, to have more segregated schools. I want more integrated schools. I don't want to close buildings."
Though the public input process will continue, and a vote is still scheduled for August, Inz says the board will do more to listen to those concerns, no matter how heated it gets.
"I don't know what our timetable is right now," he said. "We have a plan, but if the trust isn't there and people aren't on board with the plan, we're not going to be able to move it forward."
"I would just ask him to be patient and to really listen to families," Pringle said.