The SouthWest Metro Intermediate District #288 is a merged

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. SouthWest Metro is the fourth Intermediate District in the State of Minnesota.

Composition

The district was formed on July 1, 2016 by member public school districts: SouthWest Metro was given the required statutory authorization during a Special Session of the Minnesota Legislature in 2015. Following the authorization, the member districts of the SouthWest Metro Educational Cooperative voted to dissolve the Educational Cooperative and reorganize as an Intermediate School District. Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Independent School District #877 was not a member of the Educational Cooperative, but became a founding member of the Intermediate District by unanimous approval of the ten Educational Cooperative member school districts.

SouthWest Metro Educational Cooperative

The SouthWest Metro Educational Cooperative #6088 was the precursor to the SouthWest Metro Intermediate District #288. The Cooperative was formed on July 1, 2013, as a joint powers cooperative school district. The Educational Cooperative resulted from the blending of The Minnesota River Valley Special Educational Cooperative (MRVSEC) which was formed in 1968 and the Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative (CSEC) which was formed in 1976. MRVSEC provided special education services to public school districts in and around Scott County Minnesota during its 45-year existence. CSEC was originally formed as a vocational cooperative by three public school districts: Eastern Carver County Schools (known as Chaska Public Schools at that time), Shakopee Public Schools, and Waconia Public Schools. During the early 1980s, CSEC merged with the Minnesota River Valley Special Education Cooperative (MRVSEC), which had provided special education services to the public school districts in the greater Carver County Minnesota area since its formation in 1969. CSEC provided Career and Technical Education, Alternative Education, Adult Basic Education, and Special Education prior to its merger with MRVSEC and the formation of the SouthWest Metro Educational Cooperative in 2013. Darren Kermes was the Executive Director of both MRVSEC and CSEC at the time of their merger and subsequently served as the Executive Director of SouthWest Metro Educational Cooperative.

Programs

The SouthWest Metro Intermediate District provides services to learners of all ages in four primary areas: *

Adult Basic Education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...

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Alternative Education Alternative education encompasses many pedagogical approaches differing from mainstream pedagogy. Such alternative learning environments may be found within state, charter, and independent schools as well as home-based learning environments. ...

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Career and Technical Education Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an ind ...

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Special Education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

. SouthWest Metro programs are located in Jordan, Shakopee, Chaska, and St. Bonifacius, Minnesota.

References

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