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This past year has been a turbulent one at St. Paul Public Schools. The district made headlines with 

 and the controversial removal of former Superintendent Valeria Silva.

St. Paul board removes Silva as superintendent

This summer, retired Roseville superintendent John Thein joined the district as interim superintendent. Thein joined MPR News hot Tom Weber to discuss his vision for the school district in the coming months.

Thein said safety is his top priority for the new school year.

"The most important thing is to make sure that our kids are safe in school," he said. "How is a young person going to learn if they feel uncomfortable, they don't feel they're safe?"

The district's contract with city police for nine school resource officers, or SROs, has also come under criticism, after a May arrest at Central High School that critics saw as excessively violent. The district is currently re-working the police contract, but Thein said he thinks the officers are valuable.

"It's hard for me to imagine a school district without SRO officers any more than a city without peace officers. And I think we've worked hard with the St. Paul police department and city government to make sure that we're going to be into community policing," Thein said.

The school board plans to vote on a new agreement with St. Paul police Aug. 23.

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After a turbulent year for St. Paul Public Schools, Dr. John Thein joined the district as interim superintendent this summer.

After a turbulent year at St Paul Public Schools, Tom Weber talks to the new interim Superintendent Dr. John Thein. Last year, SPPS made headlines with reports of student violence and the controversial removal of former Superintendent Valeria Silva, so how does Superintendent Thein move forward? Thein discusses about his personal vision for the school district.

Interim head of St. Paul schools says safety is top priority

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