Favorable Diminution of Staffing at the Minneapolis Public Schools Department of Teaching and Learning in the Course of Autumn 2016-August 2018

Ed Graff’s strength as Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) since beginning his tenure on 1 July 2016 has been his incisive trimming of the central office bureaucracy (Davis Center, 1250 West Broadway) and judgment on matters of personnel.  My citing of the latter strength must come with a note that so many people who occupy administrative positions in locally centralized school district offices have been so abominably trained and philosophically vitiated by professors of education that the talent pool is not of high quality for those who make academic decisions or have anything to do with academic programming.  This is particularly true, then, for those who occupy positions in departments such as Teaching and Learning.  

 

This is a department that is coming under my very careful scrutiny as I make my analyses for the final draft of Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools:  Current Condition, Future Prospect.  I regard as extremely favorable the fact that Ed Graff has nixed many positions in what over time has been a farcically bloated department;   Graff has succeeded in ridding the Department of Teaching and Learning of dead weight and chronic ineptitude.

 

The question will then be how well-placed those current occupants of positions in the Department of Teaching and Learning are to address the wretched academic results, and the knowledge and skill deficits, of the students whom they are professionally and morally bound to serve.

 

For now, note that Graff has pared the Department of Teaching and Learning from 52 staff positions in autumn 2016, to 38 in January 2018 to 30 in August 2018.  This is a 42% reduction since autumn 2016 that critically rid the department of many ineffective claimants to sinecures.  The initial reduction from autumn 2016 to January 2018 was 26.92% (from 52 staff positions to 38);  and from January 2018 through August 2018, a period of eight months, the percentage cut was essentially the same at 26.67%.

 

In the coming days and weeks in the run-up to publication of Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools:  Current Condition, Future Prospect, I will be examining the likelihood that those members of the current staff at MPS Department of Teaching and Learning have the ability to design a program capable of imparting a knowledge-intensive, skill replete, logically sequenced K-12 curriculum to students of all demographic descriptors.  This will require that department members study curricula such as that of the Core Knowledge Foundation and the curriculum that I presented in the August 2014 edition of my academic Journal of the K-12 Revolution:  Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

 

For now, contemplate the considerable accomplishment of Ed Graff in trimming the MPS Department of Teaching and Learning staff, as indicated in the details of these staffing positions for Autumn 2016, January 2018, and August 2018 (the current staff composition):

 

MPS Department of Teaching and Learning Staff, Autumn 2016

Administrative

1. Macarre Traynham, Director

Office Support

2. Amanda Andrews ITT and Online, Office specialist
3. Jeanne Lacy, Executive Assistant
4. Yana Manalov, Business Services Financial Specialist

AVID

5. Maria Roberts, Program Manager, AVID
6. Christen Lish, AVID Elementary Coordinator
7. Paula Killian, AVID Middle School Coordinator
8. Tommie Casey, AVID High School Coordinator

 

Elementary Team      

9. Carrie Seeley, Director, Elementary Education
10. Janna Toche, Elementary DPF
11. Julie Tangeman, Elementary DPF
12. Sara Naegli, Elementary DPF
13. Sarah Hunter, Elementary DPF

Focused Instruction

14. Tina Platt, Project Manager
15. Jake Hirschman, Curriculum Assets Assistant
16. Nancy Mai, Curriculum Assets Assistant

Instructional Technology Team

17. James Stock, Learning Assistant Administrator DPF
18. Jeff Brazee, Applications Trainer
19. Kevin Keller, Technology Integrationist DPF Material Management Position
20. Terry Dinovo, Materials Coordinator
21. Judy Stack-Nelson, Materials Handler

Online Learning

22. Edith McDonald, Online Art
23. James Carr, Online Physical Education
24. Karen Maverick, Online Special Education
25. Katy Hemmah, Online Program Counselor
26. Kelsey Zogby (Passa), Online Math Telescope
27. Lynn Lurvey, Online English
28. Seth Levitt, Online Math, Elementary
29. Tom VanErp, Online Health
30. Tony Patterson, Online Associate Educator
31. William Holm, Online Math, High School

Science Center    

32. Timothy Lilla, Science Senior Materials Handler
33. Donell Shinder, Science Materials Handler
34. Mark Berg, Science Materials Handler
35. Tara Newhouse, Science Materials Handler of Living Organisms

Secondary Team

36. Naomi Taylor, Director, Secondary Education
37. Chris Wemimont, Secondary Math DPF
38. Colleen Atakpu, Secondary Math DPF
39. Hibaq Mohamed, Secondary ELA/ Reading
40. Jennifer Rose, Secondary Science DPF
41. Katy Stephens, Secondary ELA/ Reading DPF
42. Kleber Ortiz-Sinchi, Secondary Social Studies DPF
43. Samantha Weiman, Associate Educator

Specialists

44. Ashley Crohn, K-12 Library and Information Media DPF
45. Kathy Dunbar, Arts Exploration and Extension Coordinator
46. Nora Schull, K-12 Arts DPF
47. Sara Loch, K-12 Health/ Physical Education

STEM

48. Charley Ellingson, STEM Integrationist
49. Elizabeth Stretch, STEM Integrationist

Talent Development and Advanced Academics

50. Alyssa Pollack, Elementary Talent Development and Advanced Academics DPF
51. Kelly McQuillan, High School Talent Development and Advanced Academics DPF
52. Theresa Campbell, Middle School Talent Development and Advanced Academics DPF

 

MPS Department of Teaching and Learning Staff, January 2018

Administrative                                

 

1.  Cecilia Saddler, Deputy Chief of Academics, Leadership, and Learning

 

Administrative Support

                                     

2.  Jeanne Lacy, Executive Assistant      

3.  Jake Hirschman, Curriculum Assets Assistant       

 

AVID

 

4.  Tommie Casey, 9-12 AVID   Coordinator         

5.  Christen Lish, K-8  AVID     Coordinator  

6.  Paula Kilian, 6-12 AVID    Coordinator  

 

Elementary Team

 

7.  Carey Seeley Dzierzak, Director, Elementary Education   

8.  Alice Kos, K-5 Literacy DPF, Network   

9.    Jessica Driscoll, K-5 Literacy DPF, Network  

10.  Julie Tangeman, K-5 Literacy / Science DPF                

11.  Kelly Meade, K-5 Literacy DPF, Network   

12.  Kristi Bostad, K-5 Literacy DPF, Network   

13.  Marium Toure', K-5 Math DPF, Davis             

14.  Mary Lambrecht, K-5 Math DPF, Network       

15.  Natasha Parker, K-5 Math TOSA, Network                                                                                                

16.  Norma Alejandro, K-5 Literacy DPF, Network   

17.  Sara Naegeli, K-5 Literacy DPF, Network            

18.  William Samsel, K-5 Math TOSA, Network    

 

K-12 Programming

 

19.  Ashley Krohn, K-12 Library and Media Information DPF

20.  Kimberly Henscheid, SSPA Arts                            

21.  Nora Schull, K-12 Arts DPF 

22.  Sarah Loch, K-12 Health/Physical Ed DPF            

 

Northstar Science Center

Material Management

 

23.  Terry Dinovo, Materials Coordinator  

 

Science Center

 

24.  Timothy Lilla, Science Senior Materials Handler   

25.  Donell Shinder, Science Materials Handler                   

26.  Mark Berg, Science Materials Handler                

27.  Tara Newhouse, Senior Material Handler of Living Organisms

 

Secondary Team

 

28.  Naomi Taylor, Director, Secondary Education                        

29.  Chris Jones, 6-12 Math TOSA/Network    

30.  Chris Wernimont, 6-12 Math DPF/Network                

31.  Colleen Atakpu-Shiggs, 6-12 Math DPF                        

32.  Hamdi Ahmed, 6-12 Literacy TOSA/Network    

33.  Hibaq Mohamed, 6-12 Literacy DPF                           

34.  Jennifer Rose, K-12 Science DPF                         

35.  Katie Stephens, 6-12 Literacy DPF/Network            

36.  Sarah Huffman, 6-12 Literacy TOSA/Network     

 

Talent Development & Advanced Academics

 

37.  Kelly McQuillan, 9-12 Talent Development/Advanced Academics

38.  Theresa Campbell, K-8 Talent Development/Advanced Academics

 

 

MPS Department of Teaching and Learning Staff, August 2018

Administrative

 

1,  Cecilia Saddler, Deputy Chief of Academics, Leadership, and Learning 

 

Administrative Support

 

2.  Executive Assistant, Jeanne Lacy

 

AVID

 

2.  Tommie Casey, AVID Program Manager

3.  Christen Lish, K-8 AVID Coordinator

4.  Paula Kilian, 6-12 AVID Coordinator

 

Elementary Team

 

5.  Jessica Driscoll, K-5 Literacy DPF, Network

6.  Julie Tangeman, K-5 Literacy /

7.  Marium Toure', K-5 Math DPF

8.  Mary Lambrecht, K-5 Math DPF, Network

9.  Natasha Parker, K-5 Math TOSA

10.  Sara Naegeli, K-5 Literacy DPF

 

K-12 Programming

 

11.  Ashley Krohn, K-12 Library and Media Information

12.  Kimberly Henscheid, SSPA

13.  Nora Schull, K-12 Arts DPF

14.  Sarah Loch, K-12 Health/Physical Education DPF

15.  Ted Hansen, Fine Arts TOSA

 

Material Management

 

16.  Jeff C. Carlson, Materials Coordinator

17.  Katie MacDonald, Materials Handler

 

Science Center

 

18.  Timothy Lilla, Science Senior Materials Handler

19.  Donell Shinder, Science Materials Handler

20.  Mark Berg, Science Materials Handler

21.  Tara Newhouse, Senior Material Handler of Living Organisms

 

Secondary Team

 

22.  Chris Jones, 6-12 Math TOSA/Network

23.  Chris Wernimont, 6-12 Math DPF

24.  Hamdi Ahmed, 6-12 Literacy TOSA/Network

25.  Hibaq Mohamed, 6-12 Literacy DPF

26.  Jennifer Rose, K-12 Science DPF

27.  Katie Stephens, 6-12 Literacy DPF/Network

28.  Lisa Purcell, K-12 Social Studies DPF

 

Talent Development & Advanced Academics

 

29.  Christina Ramsey, K-8 Talent Development / Advanced Academics

30.  Kelly McQuillan, 9-12 Talent Development /Advanced Academics