MLK Breakfast Part II: Go ahead celebrate – while your having breakfast…2 Million Black Households WITH Children Face Hunger
Minneapolis, MN – Sources tell IBNN a group of “the usual suspects” are atempting to create and develop a CDC (Community Development Council) in north Minneapolis with a local Foundation.The problem is, the individuals tasked to head up this group have not had one successful long term buiness venture north Minneapolis.
Again the community is pimped, played and starved.
This isn’t even the tip of the iceberg….
1.8 million Black Households with children are food insecure – Black households with children experiencing very low food security up 92%
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA) reported yesterday that almost one in four children living in the United States are food insecure. According to the 2009 report on Household Food Insecurity in the United States, there is a striking disparity in the prevalence of food insecurity among black children. Nearly two million black households with children were food insecure at least some time during the year, an increase of 25 percent over 2007. In 2008, there were 3.76 million non-Hispanic white households with children that were food insecure. The study also revealed that 146,000 black households with children — a 92 percent increase over 2007 — experienced very low food security, meaning that the food intake of one or more of the household children was reduced and their eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money. Read more
Minneapolis Public Schools continue to fail children of color – Public Hearing on Education to be held (10/22/09)
By Donald W.R. Allen,II – Editor in Chief IBNN (Comments are welcomed at info@ibnn.org or by clicking here.)
“Education is a process. If the focus of the process is on the wrong product (teachers, money) we get the wrong results. We need to set the standards for and focus on the kids like they do in prep schools. The goal should be a kid with all the tools to enter and succeed in college. Then he or she can choose if college is right for him or her”.
…John Sousa-Facebook
The video above features four of the brightest young Black children in the Public School System. By their answers, its clear that they are not being challenged.
L.J. 8; LaMonty 7; Davy 6 and little LaShieya 3 years-old. Their mother Shay, had this to say: “As a parent, I stayed up all night thinking about the answers my children gave. It may me think why don’t my children know about other choices and I have to remind them that they can be anything they want. Secondly, what are the schools teaching them. We have to look at the problems in our public schools immediately. If this is all the Minneapolis Public Schools has to offer Black children, its time the community come together and hold them in contempt for not teaching our children.”
Minneapolis, MN (October 16, 2009)…A Public Hearing on Education will be held on Thursday, October 22, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Pierre Bottineau Library located at 55 Broadway St NE in Minneapolis.
This panel discussion will include community members and representatives from the Minneapolis Chapter of the NAACP and the African-American Community Alliance.
Fact: The Minneapolis Public School System is failing children of color.
The Star Tribune’s October 14th article “Minnesota Math Scores: good but not the best,” this article hints there is a glimmer of hope for the public school systems. However, after reading the article and looking at the Minnesota Department of Education’s website, you will see the test results for inner city schools continuing to decline.
While the Minnesota Department of Education has detailed the Functional Requirements for the 2009 No Child Left Behind – Adequate Yearly Progress Calculations with charts, graphs and statistics, inner city schools in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs with large populations of children of color consistently do not make the grade.
Children of color should aspire to become doctors, lawyers and bankers. The reality is that children are not being mentored in the direction needed to facilitate those dreams. The public school system must be held accountable for the lack of nurturing an educational foundation that has bypassed children of color.
When we ask children of color, “What do want to be when you grow up?” We get answers like football and basketball players and the most sought after career, “Rapper.”
Something is very wrong with a child in the public schools wanting to be a Rapper.
On a funding note, this hearing will also address question to the Minneapolis Public Schools System like, “Where did the $8.6 million of SES (Supplemental Educational Services) dollars go? Where did the Compensatory Education Dollars go? Where did the Title I Behavior dollars go?
And where did the Referendum Dollars go?
More importantly, what happened to the $103,770.00 gifted to the Minneapolis Urban League for marketing SES after school tutoring programs? What happened to the “Covenant?”
Where is the report?
We only hope there is someone is there to answer the questions.
IBNN has sent several requests to the Minneapolis Public Schools Dan Lowenson to obtain information on the report.
No reply has been forwarded.
Join the African American Community Alliance, NAACP and concerned community members for the Hearing on Public Education.
For more information, contact Sarah Younus at sarah.younus@gmail.com for more information.
A Vote of “No Confidence” for the Minneapolis Urban League and the Minneapolis Public Schools
This is part 2 in a 4 part series titled, “103,770.00 – Without a Trace”
The Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minneapolis Urban League has done a great injustice to Black students in Minneapolis.
Just to clarify what’s going on here. The following information would never be reported in the local newspapers. Things are not well in the Black community. While deals are being cut in back rooms, our leaders have dropped off the face of the earth. Furthermore, the inability to be creative in business finances has left the people that truly need services out in the cold. People will de-frame this story (Meaning: Changing the real perception of an event, circumstance or situation and re-placing it with one that is less controversial, false and misleading to shun all investigations or allegations about the organizations progress.)
This story and many more is an effort put forward to alert the hard working citizens in the Twin Cities that in some cases the underserved community will always be at the short end of the stick because of few people that don’t know what sound business practices are.
This injustice is reflected with the information provided by the Minneapolis Public Schools in a document titled, “Minneapolis Public Schools: Student Placement Services” which showed that from 2006 to present over 14,069 “actions” were taken against Black students in comparison to 1190 “actions” for White students with days missed in school for Black students 32,264 compared to 2976 for White students in the Minneapolis Public Schools from 2006 to 2008 (Y-T-D).
With over 178 non-profits doing business in north Minneapolis (including parks and churches), you would think that the achievement gap in the Minneapolis Public Schools would be addressed before it got to this point. I don’t work for a north Minneapolis social service agency but my first question would be: “With the above facts – why haven’t the Black social service agencies in north Minneapolis demanded a permanent change in administration, teachers and policy to address this heinous disparity and educational impotence toward our children?” Secondly, the north Minneapolis social service agency at the heart of this issue, the Minneapolis Urban League has not addressed this issue in the last 5 years, nor have they met with Minneapolis Public School officials to actively create an after school study program funded by the Minneapolis Public Schools that would address the achievement gap.
Still some creditable underlying facts remain that might show why the MUL has not been able to make the grade:
1. After the Minneapolis Urban League lost over $700,000.00 for their Truancy Program in 2007 (no application submitted-deadline missed) they have done nothing to regain or build capacity to address the very important issues of CHILDREN, STUDENTS and the MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS!
2. In the last 10 years the Minneapolis Urban League has lost over $3 million dollars in funding – reasons: from lack of capacity and guidance to complete paperwork to social service cuts are just a few reasons why.
3. When large dollar amounts are given as a grant to the MUL, the organization goes outside of the community to sub-contract with people who don’t live in the community to provide services which creates an economic “stop-gap” which prevents the further education, wealth and independence of people in the community. (i.e.; Health Program, ACORN/S.H.A.R.K.-Housing foreclosure counseling)
(Side bar: The Minneapolis City Council and Mayor R.T. Rybak approved a spending plan Friday, Nov. 21 to use $5.6 million in federal Neighborhood Stabilization funds to acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties in neighborhoods hardest hit by foreclosures (North Minneapolis). Most of the back room deals have already be cut and of course the Minneapolis Urban League is nowhere in sight. The foreclosure crisis could have been solved in North Minneapolis with some smart thinking and the $100 million dollars already wasted on “programs” for families in foreclosure.)
With over an estimated $25 Million dollars in Title I money which detoured the Black community, the Minneapolis Urban League and its Board of Directors approved to be Fiduciary Agents for a marketing company inside the Minneapolis Urban League that would bring no dollars, hope or “change” to the Black students in the Minneapolis Public Schools.
The amount of money that the Minneapolis Urban League received – get this…for another company inside the Minneapolis Urban League for “outreach” was $103,770.00 (on record so far). $103,770.00 is only 0.4 percent of an estimated $25 million dollars in Title I monies meant to assist all children in school – the Minneapolis Urban League has sold out the community.
This is an embarrassment to the Black community, families and children in Minneapolis.
From the perspective of a conspiracy theorist and understanding the dysfunctional state of organizations, people and procedures – the Minneapolis Urban League had the opportunity to make an impact and FORCE the Minneapolis Public Schools to address the achievement gap by going after the Title I money with the facts already known by the Minneapolis Public Schools and Minnesota Department of Education. Accepting 0.4% (it’s actually less) of possible dollars from the Minneapolis Public Schools/Title I dollars showed “weakness” by the MUL and let the powers that oversee our children in the Minneapolis Schools know that we, (Blacks) can be “brought-off” for little or nothing. This is not the first time this has happened with the Minneapolis Public Schools and a north Minneapolis “educational-social service agency” – but an ongoing trend happening in our community and across the United States that is simply kept quite but says, “If we give them a little money – they’ll go away.” This attitude will only last as long as the residents of north Minneapolis let these “bad cooks” stay in charge of our destiny.
Families, Parents, Students and the North Minneapolis Community must stand up now and stop apologizing for living in North Minneapolis and being Black, Hispanic-Latino, Asian, and Somali. We must ask for a permanent change in the way the Minneapolis Urban League and Minneapolis Public Schools with the Minnesota Department of Education tags and bags our children. Let’s start on today by calling the Minneapolis Urban League at (612) 302-3100 and ask to speak to the President. Ask the person you get on the phone, “What are you doing to address the achievement gap in the Minneapolis Public Schools?” Please let IBNN know what answers you get by leaving a comment at www.ibnn.org.
At the end of the day, it’s not about the Minneapolis Urban League; Minneapolis Public Schools or even this media company. At the end of the day it has always been about the children of Minneapolis.
Without the correct “process, people and problem solving” at local social service agencies in north Minneapolis including the Minneapolis Urban League our children will continued to be doomed by a few point people that will take the money with no deliverables!
(Part 3 – “A Dying Mothers Plea to the Minneapolis Urban League Goes Unanswered” – A young mother of six, dying of Cancer gets a check that bounces and receives no assistance in her time of need – an IBNN exclusive interview.)
$103,770.00 – Without a “Trace?”
…A funny thing happened on the way to the Minneapolis Urban League.
For the last two years there have been rouge groups in the community that were very upset because the Minneapolis Public Schools-District 1 had basically overlooked the underserved community as it pertained to Title I dollars to assist failing Black youth to achieve success in the MPS system. Our Black Children are failing and currently the achieve gap between Black students and White students in Minneapolis Public Schools is among the very worst in the entire United States – worse than schools in Alabama or Mississippi. The achievement gap has not really changed since it was first identified.
In a contract sent to us (by request) from the Minneapolis Public Schools detailing the guidelines of what the $103,770.00 was to be used for delivered to the Minneapolis Urban League, states the following line items with our questions in red.
CONTRACT FOR SERVICES – This is a contract between Minneapolis Urban League and the Minneapolis Public Schools, Special School District No. 1, “District,” to provide Community Outreach Services to provide: community outreach, recruiting, retention and support services to high school students and their families eligible for Title 1 SES services both on a city-wide basis; collaborative services to SES providers and more in-depth support services to high school students at identified pilots site(s) for the period of September 24, 2008 through May 31, 2009 for $103,770.00 funded from Title 1 funds.
Description of Services and Method of Service Delivery:
1. Develop new and creative methods that effectively inform high school students, parents and guardians about Title I SES tutoring services opportunities.
(Can we see the developed plan or creative methods?)
2. Share information with high school students and family members about the value of and methods to access Title I SES tutoring services offer.
(What community outreach has been done and what media did you use?)
3. Work with MPS and existing SES providers to align state standards for grade-levels and the school district’s curricula to the regular activity that occurs at each SES provider site.
(What existing SES providers have been contacted to collaborate?)
4. Provide follow-up with high school students who are enrolled in SES tutoring to provide motivation and accountability for on-going attendance.
(What high school students have been followed up with?)
5. Follow-up with high school students who are eligible but have not enrolled in SES tutoring services to determine the reason(s) and continue to try and motivate engagement.
(Have you seen the numbers yet?)
6. Identify an SES provider pilot site or sites at which project staff will connect with high school students and family members on a personal basis to enhance attendance at regular school, engagement in tutoring services, and consistent completion of homework.
(What have you done to address this line item?)
Year-to-date there has been no active engagement to distribute information about the SES program with less than 6 months left in the 2008-2009 school year. After contacting several minority-ethnic and mainstream media outlets and asking the question, “Have you been contacted for possible ads, articles, inserts, commercials, interviews and distribution of a message from the Minneapolis Urban League or the agency handling the SES Outreach? The answer has been NO!
Some background: The amount of $103,770.00 was given to the Minneapolis Urban League for the above community educational engagement – but the money was never meant for the Minneapolis Urban League or its communications and marketing department that single-handedly rose over $26,000.00 for this summer’s Family Day Celebration at North Commons. The Minneapolis Urban League was used like a “hooker in a male prison” as the fiscal agent for Front Street Marketing operated by Todd Barnes and Al Flowers from Proactive Urban Initiatives – who says, “It’s all about the children.” In a phone call to Mr. Flowers by the agency that actually wrote the SES Application for Mr. Flowers and his group of Faith-Based Tutoring Hubs, when asked about payment Mr. Flowers replied, “F*** you! You’re not getting paid.” (How did the untalented 90% move up so quick with $100,000? Furthermore we have to look at the roll of the Minneapolis Public Schools and the players who decided that “accountability” was not needed – that story is Part 2).
One thing we have to ask in our community is, “Who really represents the Children?”
On November 11, 2008 a Request for Information letter was sent to the Minneapolis Urban League requesting information on payouts, consultants and any other “fees” delivered out of the $103, 770.00 based on the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and the request re-sent again on November 13, 2008. As of today (Monday, November 17, 2008) there has been no answer to this request.
In the beginning of this case we suspect things went afoul when no press releases went out to the local media in celebration of the $103,770.00 being granted to the Minneapolis Urban League from the Minneapolis Public Schools. Unlike earlier this summer when the City of Minneapolis revoked over $700,000.00 from the Minneapolis Urban League for the MUL’s version of a “truancy program.”
In the business world – or in this case, the non-profit sector, when a educational institution grants a social service agency the opportunity to enhance the education and outcomes of our youth – it is mandated that the social service agency ask for suggestions on the best possible route to take for 100% engagement with and by the community per the contractual agreement – hence, Request for Proposal to the community.
The $103,770.00 that was granted to the Minneapolis Urban League was “pre-earmarked” for a business within the MUL that as of today – with no call backs or information supplied to us that there has been an alleged excessive spending of the dollars with no measurable outcomes.
With questions still unanswered: “Why would the MUL not use the grant themselves and deliver the line items” to “How can the Minneapolis Public Schools be so inept by tagging that much money to a firm that has no World Wide Web presence including no accountability and supplying dollars to someone that was very vocal AGAINST them in an effort to “silence” the drama?”
This story is the first of a 4 Part Series titled $103,770.00! (Oh yes – there’s a lot more.)
What the Community doesn’t know works well for the Minneapolis School Board
(On Monday, October 10, 2008 – IBNN was requested to change the title of this Opinion)
On November 4, 2008 voters in Minneapolis approved the School Boards Referendum. On Thursday, November 6, 2008 at the Minneapolis Urban League there was a meeting that included Natalie Johnson Lee from the Council on Black Minnesotans and Ryan Fair from the Minneapolis Public Schools with Zach Montoyer leading the meeting and other concerned community members called the “Covenant Monitoring Committee”.
It has been reported by Al Flowers that outreach dollars for the Covenant was given to Front Street Marketing, based out of the Minneapolis Urban League and operated by Mr. Todd Barnes. My questions, why would the Minneapolis Public Schools give $100,000 to a marketing company for outreach that does not have a presence on the Internet? Secondly after repeated requests for information as in the original RFP (Request for Proposal) how could the Minneapolis Public Schools or the Minnesota Department of Education allow $100,000 to be tagged for aimless community outreach?
A funny statement was made in the meeting that I would like to share with you. “We are here today to hold the Minneapolis School Board accountable for the money they (the School Board) will get from the Referendum being passed.” The meeting facilitator went on to say, “We have to make sure they adhere to the Covenant.” Obviously no one in the room knew this Referendum will have no effect on school funding in Minneapolis, for this year (2008-2009 school year) or next year (2009-2010 school year). It only affects school funding starting in 2010-2011.
First of all the “Covenant” is a philosophy. It cannot be measured; you can’t control it and furthermore, the wrong people are at the table with its design inception. What would work is a CBA (Community Benefit Agreement). (At the meeting I was asked to sit in back because I could not be a part of the group because I was a Republican and Congressman Ellison’s wife Kim would be attending.) The Covenant Monitoring Committee information and guidelines was plagiarized without permission from the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC). The MPHEC mission as an Agency of the Council of Atlantic Premiers that provides advice to Ministers responsible for Post-Secondary Education in the Maritimes, the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission assists institutions and governments in enhancing a post-secondary learning environment. With the wrong people at the table and no professional direction for outreach – the Minneapolis School Board is bound to do whatever it wants – with or without the community.
At the meeting I referred to, three handouts were given to the participants at the meeting authored by the Minneapolis Public School System. The first document titled – “Minneapolis Public Schools: Expulsions Referral Request by Ethnicity”. This document showed information from 2005-2008 on students Expulsion Referral with a special note that says; “None of these expulsion referrals resulted in expulsion – students signed the waiver and were placed in an alternative setting, or did a voluntary withdraw, etc” (Like a plea bargain). The numbers show that over 486 Black students were “tagged” by this action compared to 94 White students from 2005 to present.
The second document titled, “Minneapolis Public Schools: Administrative Transfer Request by Ethnicity 2005-2008” showed an overwhelming rate of 648 Black students compared to 56 White students that were transferred to another school at the request of school administrators from 2005 to present. Current numbers are pacing the same.
The third document titled, “Minneapolis Public Schools: Student Placement Services” showed that from 2006 to Present 14,069 “actions” were taken against Black students in comparison to 1190 “actions” for White students with days missed in school for Black students 32,264 compared to 2976 for White students in the Minneapolis Public Schools from 2006 to 2008.
The achieve gap between black students and white students in Minneapolis public schools is among the very worst in the entire United States – worse than schools in Alabama or Mississippi. The achievement gap has not really changed since it was first identified.
The Minneapolis School Board, administration and teachers union say they want to close the achievement gap between black students and white students. Is the District committed to doing whatever takes to eliminate the black white achievement gap? Or is only planning to do what is easy and/or what is not controversial? If easy steps could reduce the gap, it would have been eliminated years ago. The only way to know the level of commitment is to know the specific action steps the School Board and Administration are committed to taking to close the black white student achievement gap. But the District has not shared with the Community what specific steps it will take to close the achievement gap. I want know and I believe that all members of the Community, parents and especially black parents deserve to know if the School Board and Administration are willing to “take the heat” for making the unpopular and/or controversial changes that will be necessary to close the black white student achievement gap, now that a $60 million referendum has been approved.
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