As part of our ongoing coverage of Minneapolis Public Schools, our team has been attending as many of the Parent Advisory Committee meetings as we can attend to learn more about the purpose of PACs. Moving forward, we will update you on the PAC meetings happening each week.

The American Indian Parent Advisory Council met on January 3 via Zoom.

The meeting began with introductions and then it moved to a presentation by Derek Francis, Julie Goldsmith, and Sadiq Ahmed on the Achievement & Integration Plan, a  Minnesota Department of Education initiative to “pursue racial and economic integration, increase student achievement, create equitable educational opportunities, and reduce academic disparities based on students' diverse racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds in Minnesota public schools.”

The presenters attended American Indian Parent Advisory Council to get feedback from members as district stakeholders. A second presentation on the Achievement and Integration Plan and its utilization will occur at next month’s American Indian Parent Advisory Council meeting.

“We wanted to gather feedback from community members and then we’ll go from there. The program will be the next three years, beginning next Fall and going through June 30, 2026. Within that time, each school will have a plan that will get updated annually,” said Ahmed.

Specifically the Achievement & Integration planners are asking for feedback on inclusivity, cultural practices, and resources that community members might want to see in the Achievement & Integration plan.

The Special Education Advisory Council was scheduled to meet, but did not. The council's website had a Zoom link, but only one other person attended the meeting. According to that person, a cancellation notice was not sent out. Minneapolis Schools Voices is still waiting for a response to our email to the district regarding the that meeting.