Image Arrangement: Kristin Hassel OpGov News/ All Minneapolis Public Schools
(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) – The Minneapolis School Board heard three proposals on September 15 that could lead to the closure of up to 16 schools in the district. A nearly $40 million budget shortage was a key reason for the proposals.
Earlier this year, the district identified a $10 million billing error, and an outside investigation later revealed an additional $3 million diverted from an employee health fund. Other reasons for the structural transformation proposals include declining enrollment and underutilized buildings.
Previous efforts to decrease spending and increase enrollment haven’t been enough to quell the budget issues. Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams clarified the issue, saying, “The reality is our district is spread too thin, which means resources are used to support an inefficient footprint instead of directly supporting student experience.”
The three transformation proposals each affect an estimated 12-14% of students district-wide and result in at least 14 school closures. Reducing the number of schools in the district from 59 to as few as 44 will save the district up to $705,000 per year.
Potential closure locations include Loring, Lincoln, Bethune, Pratt, Longfellow, Hiawatha, Field, Kenny, Wenonah, Wellstone, Hmong International Academy, FAIR High School for the Arts, Anwatin, Heritage Academy, Cityview, Webster, Howe, and Lake Harriet Lower. Ultimately, the transformation proposal accepted will determine which schools close.
Board Member Greta Callahan announced the proposed closure sites and clarified that the list was not set in stone. She also expressed concern about a lack of leadership transparency about the impact that school closures can have.
“Closing schools will create more upheaval, uncertainty, and trauma in the very nature of the way this plan was presented to us, as a board,” Callahan said, “not reassuring.”
Callahan pointed out areas the proposals were lacking, stating in part, “... here’s what it doesn’t have: a robust recruitment and retention plan, a list of how many staff will be cut… a description of how much money it will take to maintain empty school buildings, or a concrete plan for what will happen to the shuttered buildings.”
Image Arrangement: Kristin Hassel OpGov News/ Public school walk zones
She also noted that the proposals didn’t include the cost of retrofitting existing buildings to handle the new influx of students or an estimate of how many families will leave the district once a proposal is accepted. Students, staff, parents, and the community are welcome to view a full presentation of the transformation and/or join one of the seven public meetings regarding the transformation proposals.
All meetings are from 6-7 p.m.; dates and locations are as follows:
Camden High School: September 30
Washburn High School: October 1
Edison High School: October 2
South High School: October 6
North High School: October 7
Southwest High School: October 8
Roosevelt High School: October 9
A vote on the proposals is set to take place this fall, and the changes are expected to go into effect for the 2027-28 school year.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at kristin.h@lead4earth.org.
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