Don’t forget about South High School

To the Editor,

Tue., July 12, a few South High School parents and students approached the Minneapolis Public School Board during open comments. They requested that the School Board review its current plan to build a building on the recently purchased land located at 19th Ave. and Lake St., land adjacent to the South High athletic field, Barnard Field. Parents, community members and students plan to continue this movement and ensure that South High students will not be forgotten.

Many students, parents and community members assumed that the land would be used to upgrade the athletic field. Upgraded athletic fields exist at Roosevelt, Washburn, Southwest and Edison high schools. Although the District’s involvement in the upgrades has varied at each school, the South High School community seems to be forgotten.

A few of the current problems include only a six-lane track in place of the required eight-lane. This alone leads the district to spend money to transport students to other athletic fields for track events as South cannot host track meets.

The soccer field is not the appropriate size to hold City Conference games. When the athletes perform well in their city conference, they cannot even celebrate on their own field by hosting a conference game.

The athletic field does not have lights, which significantly impacts the time football and soccer games have to be played in the fall as it gets dark earlier and earlier.

The list could go on.

The District at some point implemented a five-year plan to co-locate Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Transition Plus in an expensive new building on land they would purchase on the corner of Lake St. and 19th Ave. Due to the City’s interest in the same land, where ABE was previously located, they were given the squeeze from their building so the city could develop.

It is a fact that ABE requires a new location. However, it is not fair that South students need to suffer the consequences of the city and the school district. There are other locations the district could consider for ABE.

The Transition Plus Program is currently located at the Wilder Building, and there is no observable need for them to relocate at this time.

It is my understanding that the District is entering year three of the five-year plan and we ask that the District reconsider. There is no other place for an athletic field. I’m confident that if the District were to designate the land to South High School and begin planning in collaboration with our Athletic Department, that the South High community, parents, and the South High Foundation would support the improvements in any way they can.

There have been some grandiose discussions about building an entirely new South High School and athletic field. It is hard to know how long such an extravagance would take. Our youth need us now, and they don’t ask for much.

Every year we fail to act, we lose the opportunity to positively impact 400-500 students.

The current athletic field and track directly impact an average of 300-400 students per year in track, boys soccer, girls soccer, and football. It impacts South High School in its entirety. Kids are keen to observe disparities and although some disparities I always say “build character and resiliency,” too much disparity impacts their self-image (individually and as a group) negatively.

Bottom line, the lack of improvements at South is inequitable. We want South High School students to say “Hey, the District and the adults around us care, just like they do at the other High Schools”.

One action the District could take is to form a new advisory team which includes at least two representatives from South High School as well as a representative from our District Athletic Department. Equal participation must exist between the programs/schools involved: Transition Plus, Adult Basic Education, South High School and Athletics. It would be critical for non-District paid employees to also participate with equal representation.

Jennifer Bochman

Jennifer Bochman is a 20-year resident of the Longfellow Hiawatha Community. Her two daughters have attended the Minneapolis Public Schools (Dowling, Seward, and South High School) since 1999; her youngest is graduating in the spring of 2017. She believes that now, more than ever, is a time to act as a member of the Minneapolis community. She urges you to get involved and learn as she says she is learning.