City of South St. Paul and South St. Paul
Public Schools adopt new core values
Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer
The City of South St. Paul and South St. Paul Public Schools (SSPPS) recently adopted a set of core values that they’re encouraging all employees, students and residents to embrace for the betterment of the entire community. They are respect, pride, collaboration, integrity, resilience and equity. City and school staff will be wearing Core Values t-shirts and handing out Core Values bracelets and stickers during Kaposia Days. They will also promote the slate of values at National Night Out in August. Beginning this fall, community members and business leaders that commit to upholding the core values will be recognized.
The idea for the initiative stemed from meetings between Special School District 6 Superintendent Brian Zambreno and South St. Paul City Administrator Ryan Garcia, who meet monthly to discuss ways the two entities can collaborate to improve community life. The first official discussion about adopting the values occurred at a joint work session last fall.
“We invite every community member as well as every student and employee in our community to embrace the…core values and make them an integral part of their daily lives, interactions and habits,” said Lisa Brandecker, South St. Paul Public Schools communications manager. “It is our hope to create a culture in South St. Paul where everyone cares and watches out for one another. While we have not received specific feedback indicating that the city or schools are not inclusive, the district recognized an opportunity to refresh our current set of core values. Superintendent Zambreno invited the City to partner and collaborate on creating a foundational set of core values. This partnership aims to establish the school district and city as pillars of strength and support, working together to foster a thriving, resilient, and harmonious community where both our schools and broader community can flourish for generations to come.”
Throughout the summer, city and school district leaders are encouraging residents to reflect on what each core value means and how they can be applied in daily actions and decisions. Come the start of the school year, school staff will receive additional guidance on how to promote the values during its Opening Days program.
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