Ed Graff Named Superintendent For Minneapolis Public Schools
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A new leader is poised to take over the Minneapolis School District.
Tuesday night, the school board chose the outgoing superintendent of Anchorage, Alaska Public Schools. Ed Graff is a native of Bemidji, Minn., but has spent the last 25 years working in Anchorage public schools.
WCCO's Angela Davis spoke with some parents and a school board member on Wednesday about Graff. His selection comes after months of twists and turns in the superintendent search process.
And already people are voicing strong opinions. There is some question on whether a white man can effectively lead a district that's more than 60 percent kids of color. Others are excited about an outsider coming in.
The school board chose Ed Graff over State Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. In Anchorage, he served as a teacher, principal and an administrator.
"A lot of conversations start from how someone looks, but I tell you to really take time to get to know me and who I am," Graff said.
Graff joined the meeting via Skype Tuesday night. Board member Tracine Asberry says she's more interested in Graff's record than his race.
"In Anchorage, Alaska the graduation rate is 80 percent. There is a three percent dropout rate, there's complexities in the demographics of students, there's a large population of native Alaskans," Asberry said.
About 56 percent of the students in Anchorage schools are kids of color. They're mostly American Indian, Asian-American or Hispanic.
"I'm hearing a lot of cautious optimism. I think people are interested in a lot of the work he's done in Anchorage," Minneapolis parent Shannon Gibney said.
Gibney has a son at Bancroft Elementary School.
"There's been a lot of gridlock and politics, and all kinds of stuff in Minneapolis Public Schools for a while now. People feel like this is a chance to get a breath of fresh air," Gibney said.
"I look at every student as an individual and listen first and make sure I understand their story," Graff said.
"What I looked for was someone who could come in and who could bring our district together. We've been very fragmented," Asberry said.
Anchorage School District records also show about 20 percent of their students are English Language Learners, much like Minneapolis Public Schools. The district is also larger than Minneapolis, with about 10,000 more students.
On Friday the school board meets again to work on contract negotiations with Graff. He's expected to start on July 1.
