Dear colleagues,

One year ago, many people across our district were working hard to help staff and families prepare to say goodbye to their school and become part of a new community as part of Envision SPPS. These changes were emotional and difficult, and the need for many in our community to mourn was real. One more beloved school, Obama Elementary, will close its doors this June: A celebration is being held on June 1 to commemorate the school’s 100-year history. All are welcome to attend.

Change is never easy, and it takes time and a lot of heart to do it right. While we can still appreciate what we’ve lost, I hope that you are starting to see how much we have to gain because we made these tough decisions. Three schools that were impacted by Envision—Riverview, Phalen Lake and Hmong Language & Culture Middle School—are embracing their growing communities and creating new names for themselves, literally and figuratively. 

Riverview is replacing its West Side School of Excellence tagline with Spanish/English Dual Immersion Program to let families know how much they value bilingual education. Phalen Lake and the Hmong Middle School are in the process of rebranding as Txuj Ci HMong Language and Culture to create a seamless PreK-8 experience that’s grounded in the community’s values. This program is so popular that it’s already outgrown Phalen Lake’s building, and will have five Pre-K sections housed at the Early Childhood Hub East next year. 

Speaking of Pre-K, we have found creative ways to grow our Pre-K program by more than 10% next year. Two new programs—Nature Discovery Pre-K (a fee-based program through Community Education at St. Anthony Park Elementary) and four new Head Start classrooms (at EXPO, Eastern Heights and Highwood Hills)—are poised to welcome 160 additional 4-year-olds to SPPS in the fall. The demand for Pre-K still far outweighs the supply, and I am hopeful that the state’s projected education budget will allow us to serve even more families.

Outside of Envision, there are many other things happening that bode well for the future of SPPS. I recently visited the Career Pathways Center at Saint Paul College with Dr. Amy Loyd from the U.S. Department of Education and several of our local partners. The highlight of the visit was hearing from three of our students, who are absolutely thriving thanks to this innovative program. Another bright spot is our newest collaborative learning school at Maxfield Elementary, where students are already benefiting from the University of St. Thomas’s insight and innovation in preparation for the official launch next year.

As we enter the last few weeks of the school year, there is so much to be proud of and look forward to. While it may feel like there is never enough time and there are always things we can improve, I hope that you can take a moment to appreciate the impact that you have on this amazing community known as SPPS. I continue to believe the best is yet to come.

In Partnership,

Joe Gothard, Superintendent