Even though districts are typically named after one of the cities they serve, they are separate entities, legally distinct from those cities.
Hopkins Public Schools covers all of Hopkins, most of Minnetonka, half of Golden Valley and parts of Eden Prairie, Edina, Plymouth and St. Louis Park. Those boundaries reflect numerous votes and agreements between school districts and residents in the past.
This week, the Hopkins School Board will examine the latest in a long line of boundary change requests. A group of Edina residents in the Parkwood Knolls and Walnut Drive neighborhoods wants to leave Hopkins because they think its schools are not in locations that serve the families’ educational needs.
In preparation for the School Board’s vote Thursday, district administrators prepared a history of the district’s boundaries. That history showcases how a district named after a four-square-mile community grew into a 7,400-student entity covering a swathe of the west metro.
“Paramount in this process was local initiative and study, with the approval by legal entities—local school boards and subsequent referendum elections by the voters of each of the Common and/or Independent School Districts involved,” district administrators wrote in the report for the Thursday’s meeting.
Here’s a look at how Hopkins grew into what it is today, according to that report. Refer to the images above to see the areas being referenced.
***
Timeline
Early decades
1898: Harley Hopkins Independent School District (ISD) No. 135 is established
- Added portions of West Minneapolis (Hopkins), Edina and Minnetonka
1898: Hopkins ISD No. 19 is established
- Added parts of West Minneapolis and Minnetonka Township
- Prior to that, Hopkins was a common school district with a two-story, four-room school
1946: Glen Lake Common District No. 155 votes to dissolve and join Hopkins ISD No. 19
- Added parts of Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie
1946: Shady Oak Common District No. 97 votes to dissolve and join Hopkins
- Added parts of Minnetonka, Eden Prairie and Edina
After the Minnesota reorganization law
In 1947, the Legislature passed a law to reorganization law designed to encourage districts to start talking about combining. Minnesota went from 7,679 districts in 1945 to 2,148 districts in 1963, when the first mandatory reorganization legislation further reduced the number of districts.
1950: A vote to combine Oak Knoll Common School District, Burwell Common School District, Harley Hopkins and Hopkins fails when Harley Hopkins voters reject the idea.
1952: Harley Hopkins and Hopkins vote to consolidate, forming Independent School District No. 225.
- Added parts of Hopkins, Edina and Minnetonka.
1953: Burwell and Hopkins vote to consolidate. A small part of Burwell goes to the Wayzata school district.
- Added parts of Minnetonka and Hopkins
1954: Oak Knoll votes to consolidate
- Added parts of Minnetonka and St. Louis Park.
1955: Westview Common School District No. 138 votes to consolidate with Hopkins
- Added parts of Plymouth and Golden Valley.
1961: The commissioner of education changes Hopkins to District No. 274
1980: Golden Valley Independent District No. 275 dissolves and merges with Hopkins. The new district is designated District No. 270—the designation the district has today.
- Added a part of Golden Valley.
I believe the Hopkins school board members should let go of their "hostage neighborhood", and move on in a positive direction.
Since most people will look at the timeline, but not an historical, aerial map, they will be deceived into thinking that, at one time, residents of the area in question CHOSE to join the Hopkins school district through a democratic process. Perhaps the purpose of the timeline is just that (an effort on the part of the Hopkins school board to deceive rather than clarify).
It appears that "The Patch" was also deceived into believing this. The article quotes anonymous Hopkins "district administrators" as essentially saying this. After I pointed-out that the time-line is deceptive, "The Patch" submitted a comment stating that perhaps the real point of the time-line had been to show that Hopkins had already experienced "its share" of boundary changes. This seems to be "Monday-morning quarterbacking" at its best. (Besides, saying that Hopkins has already experienced "its share" of changes makes it sound like Hopkins merely tolerated these changes, when really it proposed, encouraged and voted for these size increases.) It's hard to believe that one has been deceived. Yet, even reporters for the "New York Times" are sometimes deceived, as they have acknowledged whenever this occurs. I only hope that reporters at "The Patch" will realize that the Hopkins school board has deceived them multiple times, and they tend to take the bait "hook, line and sinker."
And if you think there's something I left out — or haven't covered or want to elaborate on — I invite you to share your thoughts on a Patch blog. This is a community site, after all. I love to have a variety of voices discussing the issues important to the community. Residents like you can provide way more information and opinions than any single journalist could hope to do. If you — or anyone else, on either side of the issue — is interested, just go here: http://hopkins.patch.com/blog/apply Like I said, I love hearing whatever residents have to say. Patch's whole goal is to foster dialog and community engagement.
The Hopkins School District is an amazing set of schools at all levels and I feel blessed that my children have an opportunity to not only come out highly educated but have also had many opportunities to witness how our Global Society is. There is great value in being in a learning environment of cultural and socioeconomic diversity. Ultimately, your child's education comes down to what you are also willing to put into it as a parent. The beauty of Open Enrollment allows you to send your child somewhere else if you do not agree with the system. I am hopeful that the district will make the right decision and NOT allow this annexation.
http://hopkins.patch.com/articles/what-role-does-wealth-play-in-edina-request-to-leave-hopkins-schools Take a look at the demographics and share your thoughts: Are they even relevant to the discussion?
Betty J