NORTHROP UPDATE

What can you do?  Contact the School Board (contact info listed below) and attend the next Minneapolis Public School Board meetings:

• 10/13 from 10-noon, Anne Sullivan to discuss 4 schools, including Northrop
• 10/25 from 6:30 - 8:30, McRae to discuss Northrop
• 10/27 from 1:30 - 3:30, McRae to discuss Northrop

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Previous information:

At the August 8 meeting of the Minneapolis Board of Education it was unanimously agreed to reject he proposal from The City to use the former Northrop Elementary building fro its programs.  The Superintendent offered the following recommendation to the School Board prior to the vote.  Many of the concerns outlined in Dr. Green's recommendation were reiterated by School Board members as rationales for their vote against the City Inc. proposal.

"[It is my recommendation that] the Board of Education, Special SchoolDistrict No. 1, not begin negotiations with The City, Inc. for the following reasons: The facility is designed primarily for the purpose of educating elementary students.  Therefore the learning environment would not be conducive to assure students meet the high standards for learning as required by the state, particularly in science.  In addition the majority of the students rely on metro transit for transportation to and from school.  Northrop's site is not conveniently located to a metro bus stop."  He additionally stated that "the neighborhood residents felt strongly that the program and age level of students were not a good fit."

Thank you to all who helped the School Board come to this decision with your letters, phone calls, emails and personal contacts with the School Board.  It was great to see the community come together in a collective manner to accomplish a victory for the neighborhood.  Additionally, the community will be pleased to know, The City Inc. has found a more appropriate building for their needs and will be using Wilder School for the upcoming school years.

Going forward, new tenants will be considered for Northrop under the following guidelines presented by Superintendent Green: "The facility reuse planning process will continue to be guided by the following goal: providing occupancies that enhance neighborhoods and provide the highest possible benefit to the children, families, and the neighborhoods of Minneapolis Public Schools."

Check back here for updates as the Minneapolis Public Schools looks for other tenants for the Northrop building.  Thanks again to everyone for their help!