Superintendent Keith Dixon said 2007 was "an exciting year and a productive year" for Duluth Public Schools and there will be "major challenges" to come in 2008 during his State of the Schools address Tuesday night.
"It is an incredible journey we are on," Dixon said. "This is a great school district and we have many things to be proud of, but at the same time we can get better ... . We know how to do that."
Dixon said the continued implementation of the district's long-range facilities plan, the upcoming renewal of the operating levy -- which will require voter approval in the fall -- and the difficulty of balancing the district's budget in the face of funding shortfalls from the state and federal levels are among the challenges the district faces.
"There is no light at the end of the tunnel relative to school finance in Minnesota. Certainly we are feeling the impact of that," Dixon said.
Despite the financial situation, Dixon said students in the district are doing well. They beat the national average on the ACT exam for the past 10 years and seven schools in Duluth performed in the top 10 percent on Minnesota reading tests and in the top 25 percent on math tests last year. He also said students of color and low-income students outperformed the state on reading tests.
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"Are we satisfied yet? No, but these are things we can be proud of," he said.
Dixon also touched on some of the program changes that are happening in the schools, such as the addition of a Mandarin Chinese course next year, the expansion of advanced courses and the continued incorporation of technology in the classroom.
"This speaks to the changing world dynamics we are dealing with," he said.
The district continues to make a concerted effort on the security front. Cameras were installed in all three high schools last year and Dixon said a card-access program soon will be tested at Lowell Elementary school and might eventually spread across the district. He also said teachers continue to be trained in techniques that support students' emotional security.
The long-range facilities plan also was discussed. Dixon acknowledged the journey that led to the development of the long-range plan and the Minnesota Department of Education's approval of the plan. He said the district is working with staff, including teachers, to articulate design parameters for the new buildings and flesh out transition strategies as construction inches closer.
"This is a proud, caring community and a proud, caring school district," Dixon said. "I'm excited to be with you on this important journey."
In other School Board-related news:
Art Johnston, a member of Let Duluth Vote and an engineer for the federal government, gave Duluth School Board members an eight-page critique that he conducted on the district's long-range plan, known as the red plan, at the regularly scheduled board meeting Tuesday night.
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"I ask the board to take control of the school district," he said. "It is up to you to start paying attention to some of the problems of the red plan. ... I want good schools. The red plan is not the way to do it."
The district is scheduled to hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. today to discuss site expansions at six schools under the long-range plan and the properties the district is seeking to purchase for those expansions. The conference will be held at Old Historic Central High School.
SARAH HORNER covers K-12 education. She can be reached weekdays at (218) 723-5342 or by e-mail at shorner@duluthnews.com .
