On January 19, 2012 the Four Directions Charter School (FDCS) received a letter from the Minnesota Department of Education stating that the current sponsor, the Upper Midwest American Indian Center’s application for sponsor renewal was denied. This means that FDCS had until June 30, 2012 to find a new sponsor. However, the due dates to apply for many sponsorships had already passed by the time we received the letter. As of today, the FDCS has contacted all 26 sponsors that are approved by the State of Minnesota but has not received a positive response. The principal is still working on one sponsor who is willing to help, but the time is running out. FDCS has been providing a great service to a very important part of our community for the last 21 years. The school first opened as an alternative school in 1991 and then converted to a charter school in 1999. FDCS has been very successful in graduating first generation American Indian, Hmong, African American, White American and Hispanic students. Most of our students have been pushed out of the regular public school system. A lot of our graduates have gone to college and are currently working in the community. FDCS has been the only rescue place for many of these students; without this school, some of our students would never have had an opportunity to graduate from high school. Our students are more than a low test score. They are very capable of completing their credits towards graduation. Since FDCS is the only Native American Charter School in Minneapolis, in this Native American month, we ask your support to continue our school and its unique service to the community. Respectfully submitted, Friends, family, staff and community members of Four Directions Charter School We, the undersigned, give our support to Four Directions Charter School to continue serving the youth and the community in Minneapolis

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