MINNEAPOLIS (KFGO/WCCO) – As many as 16 Minneapolis schools face potential closure as part of a “transformation plan” unveiled Tuesday night by Minneapolis Public Schools as the district looks to address dwindling enrollment and a nearly $40 million budget deficit.
Tuesday’s meeting brought strong reactions from the crowd in attendance as Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) officials detailed three proposals—opting to label potential closures as schools being “unprogrammed” instead of closed.
“We are spread too thin and attempting to support a significant number of schools with insufficient enrollment,” said Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams.
The sweeping transformation reflects MPS data presented Tuesday, showing the district serves nearly 30,000 students despite having the capacity for 43,000.
At least 14 schools face closure under all three proposals: FAIR School for Arts, Loring, Hmong International Academy, Lincoln, Bethune, Anwatin, Lake Harriet Lower, Kenny, Field, Wenonah, Hiawatha, Pratt, Heritage Academy High School, and Longfellow.
“The list of schools slated for potential closure includes beloved community schools that have just received statewide accolades, schools with waitlists, schools that we’ve just pumped tens of millions of taxpayer dollars into, schools that serve young mothers and young immigrants, and schools with devoted principals, educators, and families who’ve just welcomed students back for the start of the year,” said board member Greta Callahan, a former teachers’ union president, who criticized the plan. “All MPS schools will be negatively impacted if these unlucky ones are closed because we’ve done this before and it has been done across the country. We know this will impact recruitment and retention of families. The emotional impact and the resulting attrition cannot be overstated. Talk about bad press.”
Callahan added that district administrators failed to be transparent about the process and did not disclose how much money building closures would save the district.
“This isn’t just about bad press; this is about the failure to build a robust, long-term strategy for our district,” Callahan said.
MPS is seeking feedback on the proposals, including through a survey that’s open through Oct. 16.
Seven public input meetings are scheduled, starting with a Sept. 30 meeting at Camden High School from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
The Minneapolis Federation of Educators issued a response to the district’s proposal, which it called “an unacceptable path forward for our district.”
“Tonight, Minneapolis Public Schools’ administration proposed three worst-case scenarios for the future of MPS,” the union stated. “Each plan held strong echoes of the failed Comprehensive District Design (CDD), and all three proposed plans involved closures of beloved neighborhood schools that have been held in trust for generations of Minneapolis students.”
The union’s full statement can be found here.
The school board plans to vote on the final proposal on Nov. 10.
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