Superintendent Ed Graff Continues to Reconfigure His Cabinet, with No Prospects for Improvement in Academic Quality at the Minneapolis Public Schools

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Superintendent Ed Graff continues to reconfigure his cabinet, which contains considerable talent at the leadership positions for finance, operations, and special education but leaves in place Aimee Fearing, whose academic credentials are as insubstantial as Graff himself, as Interim Senior Academic Officer.

Nothing in Graff’s program featuring Social and Emotional Learning;  Multi-Tiered System of Support;  Literacy;  and Equity contains any substantial prospects for the provision of knowledge-intensive curriculum with properly trained teachers.  And the academic portion of the New Comprehensive District Design is full of education establishment jargon, with no indication of the overhaul necessary to provide knowledge-intensive, skill-replete education to the long-waiting students of the Minneapolis Public Schools.

As to the most recent tinkering that Graff has done pertinent to his cabinet, Suzanne Kelly now bears the title of “Executive Officer/Office of the Superintendent,” rather than “Chief of Staff.”

All of the former “chiefs” have had their titles changed, now typically listed as “senior” officers instead.

Two Davis Center (MPS central offices, 1250 West Broadway) staff have been added to the leadership group that acts as cabinet:

>>>>>    Ryan Strack

Administrator, Board and Government Relations

 

Strack’s responsibilities are identified as follows:

 

The Administrator, Board and Government Relations, is responsible for staffing the Board of Education and facilitating the policy development process.

 

>>>>>    Celina Martina

Executive Director of Engagement and External Relations

 

Martina’s responsibilities are identified as follows:

 

Engagement and External Relations is responsible for creating opportunities and building capacity for engagement of families and other stakeholders with our schools. Housed within the larger Communications, Engagement & External Relations division, engagement and external relations functions include: student placement services, family resource center, Parent Advisory Councils (PAC), Parent Academy Program, and overall support to school-family partnerships.

Otherwise the leadership group is the same as has been the case for many months and in most cases years, given in entirety as follows:

Ed Graff               >>>>>         Superintendent, Minneapolis Public Schools

 

Ryan Strack         >>>>>         Administrator, Board and Government Relations

 

Aimee Fearing   >>>>>        Senior Academic Officer

 

Eric Moore          >>>>>         Senior Accountability, Research, and Accountability Officer

 

Ibrahima Diop   >>>>>         Senior Finance Officer

 

Maggie Sullivan   >>>>>      Senior Human Resources Officer

 

Justin Hennes                      >>>>>      Senior Information Officer

 

Karen Devet          >>>>>      Senior Operations Officer

 

Suzanne Kelly      >>>>>      Executive Officer, Office of the Superintendent  

 

Amy Moore           >>>>>      General Counsel

 

Shawn Harris-Berry            >>>>>      Associate Superintendent

 

Lashawn Ray         >>>>>      Associate Superintendent

 

Ron Wagner          >>>>>      Associate Superintendent

 

Brian Zambreno   >>>>>     Associate Superintendent

 

Rochelle Cox        >>>>>      Associate Superintendent, Special Education

 

Celina Martina     >>>>>      Executive Director of Engagement and External Relations

Julie Schultz Brown     >>>>>      Executive Director of Marketing and Communications