Golden Valley's Perpich Center to Become Charter School?

Editor's Note: This article is accurate as of April 7, but things are changing quickly at the Capitol right now.  Patch is keeping track of the K-12 bill and where Perpich stands.  As soon as a final decision is made or one of the two bills passes or fails, we'll be sure to let you know.

It has been about 25 years since the Minnesota Legislature created the (PCAE) in Golden Valley.

Now, a provision in the House Omnibus K-12 Education Finance Bill could change the way the PCAE operates.

The Perpich Center, which operates as a state agency, currently has three primary state funded programs: a statewide public arts high school for 11^th and 12^th grade students, professional development and research serving Minnesota’s K-12 schools and a statewide library/learning resource center with books and materials for use by teachers, artists, students and the general public. 

A provision in the House’s version of the omnibus K-12 Education Finance Bill suggests converting the Perpich Center from a state agency to a charter school.

“If the Arts High School at the Perpich Center were to be spun off as a charter school, it would lose the residential component and non-metro students from Greater Minnesota would lose access to the school's in-depth arts and academic programs," Sue Mackert, Perpich Center for Arts Education Executive Director, says.  "In addition, the Arts High School does not fit existing requirements within the definition of a charter school.”

One Perpich Center student, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells Golden Valley Patch that the school “means the world” to him.

“I have heard tales of my peers being bullied, feeling worthless, or battling with depression before coming to Perpich,” he shared in a  letter to the Golden Valley Patch editor. “I used to wake up every morning and feel no motivation to get out of bed, but now each morning I think to myself, ‘Today, I get to go to school.’ Perpich has given me the skills to apply my art to adult life, the self-esteem to express myself and the knowledge to succeed.”

As of early April, several members of the Minnesota Senate and House were working to create a committee to address the differences in the Omnibus K-12 Education Finance Bill. One such difference is the treatment of the Perpich Center. The House version proposes the conversion to a charter school while the Senate suggests a $500,000 budget reduction. Once the committee decides on a common Omnibus K-12 Education Finance Bill, it will be presented again to the House where it could be approved or sent back to committee.

According to Mackert, students and educators statewide could feel the impact if the PCAE were to be converted from a state agency to a charter school.

“The Perpich Center touches thousands of Minnesota students, not only through the  Arts High School, but also through our extensive statewide outreach efforts with teachers and districts,” Mackert says. “The Perpich Center provides high quality, ongoing professional development for thousands of educators every year. In this time of tight budgets and cutbacks, the work of the Perpich Center is critical.”

Representative Lyndon Carlson, Sr. (DFL-Golden Valley) says the Perpich Center for Arts Education is not only a focal point in the community, but also a “unique asset” to Minnesota.

“The center functions exceptionally in its current status as a state agency,” Carlson says. “I worry that converting it into a charter school would disrupt the fundamental mission of the center to function as a resource for arts educators and organizations across the state, while providing an opportunity for students to develop their artistic ability.”

The bill’s author, Representative Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington), says many things have changed in education since the Perpich Center was created.

“One big change was the creation of charter schools. It seems appropriate that we should re-examine those decisions that have been made on older information,” he says. “I believe we could provide many of the services that Perpich currently is providing as a state agency, instead as a new charter school. I believe we could do this at a much lower cost.”

The idea to change the PCAE from a state agency to a charter school isn’t new.  According to Mackert, former Governor Tim Pawlenty recommended the same action two years ago.

“After listening to stakeholders and evaluating the Perpich Center's full impact on rural and urban students, teachers and schools, the governor and the legislature concluded that the Perpich Center for Arts Education is a vital piece to the state's K-12 education system,” Mackert says, stating current legislative support is “both strong and bipartisan.”

Garofalo says his bill is about finding better and more efficient ways to give Minnesota kids an education.  “It is about doing things differently," he says.

But at least one student at Perpich says the bill shows lawmakers don't understand what the Perpich experience is all about.

“Think about the years of pain and preparation it took me and students like me to come to this school [Perpich],” he says. “Think about the children that you are leaving behind with this bill that is meant to help us. Ask yourself if it’s worth cutting my chances short. Because if there's one thing that PCAE has taught me, it is this: I matter, too.”