Minneapolis parents threaten to leave district over proposed school closures 

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) is facing pushback over proposals to close up to 16 schools in an effort to address dwindling enrollment.

“There’s not a lot of talk or information about how this is going to affect our special education babies,” Kajvana Sheperd said, as reported by CBS News at an Oct. 1 community meeting.

While the district has capacity for 43,000 students, only 30,000 are currently enrolled, according to the article.

“In November 2024, the school board estimated 49% of Minneapolis kids go to private schools or open enrolled in other districts. Just under 6,000 Minneapolis students open-enrolled last year; Edina received the most at 828, Robbinsdale at 824, Hopkins at 690 and Columbia Heights at 636.”

Shepherd also warned of “a lot of parents” planning to withdraw from the district if schools are closed.

“I get things from my home constantly from Robbinsdale School District and Brooklyn Park, pulling at us, asking us to come to them and we don’t feel our school reaching people who live in our neighborhood,” said Alissa Harris, another meeting attendee.

The closures would not provide any significant savings for the district’s operating expenses, but they would reallocate funding to more staffing positions, CBS News previously noted.

“The proposed added positions at the remaining schools include more counselors, behavior support staff and academic intervention support. Money would also be spent to ensure schools have a wider variety of course choices, arts programs and better access to extracurricular activities.”

Safety concerns, virtual learning

The district is still recovering from a turbulent winter after the shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation.

As a result of the shooting, the president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers announced the district would offer a virtual learning option in January for five weeks.

“MPS is going to be offering an option for students to learn from home until February 12. This is an OPTION and exactly what so many families need right now,” wrote Union President Marcia Howard at the time.

The district had separately canceled in-person classes for two days after the shooting, citing “an abundance of caution because of safety concerns.”

In previous years, criticism had increased over academic outcomes for students in both MPS and the St. Paul Public School District after many failed to meet math proficiency standards. Scores were also down statewide.

“As of the start of the 2022 school year, fewer than half of Minnesota students statewide are proficient in math (44.6%), and just under 50% can’t read at grade level,” wrote Catrin Wigfall in a Center of the American Experiment report. “On national assessments, Minnesota reading and math scores are the lowest they have been in 30 years.”

Wigfall’s report surveyed 19 schools – six traditional public schools, two online public schools and 11 public charter schools.

“Defenders of the current system will likely point to COVID as the driving reason,” Wigfall wrote, “and while school closures certainly exacerbated learning loss, poor and declining student achievement showed itself way before the pandemic.”