Parents and district officials met at Edison High School for a pair of meetings covering the school’s budget, programs and potential areas for improvement. Parents brought up staffing shortages, class sizes and after-school programs. (Al Zdon)
On Dec. 16, Northeast residents had a chance to not only hear about the Minneapolis School District’s financial problems, but also to contribute their own ideas to the district’s future.
The first was in the auditorium before a group of about 90 people addressing this year’s district budget.
The transformation process may lead to the closing or merging of some school buildings as the district adjusts to a smaller enrollment, but Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams said the meetings this night were simply aimed at gathering parent and caregiver feedback on the school district in general, with a particular focus on the schools in Northeast.
A group of 14 parents and the district’s Executive Director of Academic Programs Courtney McCormick gathered in a classroom to go over eight questions. Other, similar groups were in other classrooms.
McCormick asked which school programs were most helpful to the children. One parent said the arts, including creative writing, were good for her kids. Another parent said the intervention program, where the schools try to give immediate help to students struggling in math or reading, was important.
The group of parents seemed a little reticent at first, but then got into the spirit of the session, sometimes with several caregivers trying to contribute at once.
To a question on barriers for their children, one parent noted there were fewer interventionists at her school. “We had three and now we only have a one-half interventionist. It’s not enough.”
Another parent talked about class sizes,noting that one fourth grade class has 39 stu- dents. “That’s just too much for one teacher.”
Another said there is too much reliance on computer work in the schools. “My kids have more screen time at school than they do at home.”
A parent whose children are at Marcy, an arts magnet school, said the school is losing some arts specialists. “We’re losing that draw. Isn’t that what makes a magnet school — those specialists?”
Parents and moderators also discussed which opportunities beyond the classroom have been helpful. A parent said the recreational opportunities through the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board are outstanding. Another said she chose Minneapolis schools because her children would be exposed to real-world, “ethnic” experience early in life.
As for barriers in after school programs, several parents mentioned that more programs need to be offered at no cost to make sure everyone has that opportunity. Another parent said an after school program would be offered one year, but not the next.
McCormick said she appreciated the specific feedback at the meeting and said it was just what the district leadership is looking for.
She asked what the district offered to help children become “contributing adults.” A parent said, “My children are in a community with kids from all different cultures. They are learning to interact with people of different races and religions. The schools do a great job at this. They deal with some really sticky stuff and have to grapple with it.”
A question on a “culturally-sustaining education” brought a response that the cultural experience varies widely from school to school. Another parent said there aren’t enough Black, brown and Indigenous teachers.
The reasons parents selected their school included the special education programs and the dual-language programs.
When asked what advice they had for the district increase enrollment, the parents were very specific.
A parent said the “High 5” program for pre-schoolers is critical in getting students to become a part of a certain school, yet the program was dropped at some schools.
Another parent said, “The district says one thing but then does another.”
A third parent said dropping enrollment rates is part of the long term effect of the school choice program initiated in the 1990s. “The degree of choice for parents is overwhelming, but the information available to parents is not comparable.” He said charter schools do marketing, but public schools do not.
Budget talk
The budget part of the Community Engagement meeting was led by the district’s Senior Finance Officer, Ibrahima Diop. Planning for fiscal year 2027 is in its beginning stages, and Diop outlined some of the timelines and challenges.
“First, I want to say that the budget will not have an effect on the levy. As costs increase in one area, we just have to reduce costs somewhere else,” Diop said. The school receives the maximum levy allowed by law, and also has several referenda in place that bring in additional funds.
Diop outlined some of the challenges facing the Minneapolis district and most districts across the state.
• State funding will drop to 2023 levels in the coming years because the state is facing a major revenue shortfall.
• Birth rates in the nation and in Minneapolis are falling dramatically.
• Eighty-five percent of the district’s budget is spent on salaries and benefits, and there’s little a district can do to change that.
• Inflation is rising faster than revenue.
• The whole country may be sliding into an economic downturn.
• There is uncertainly about federal funding for education.
Revenue for this year for the district is at about $702 million. It is expected to rise next year, but then drop back down to the $700 million level for the next several years. Meanwhile, expenses will continue to increase.
The budget reserve this year is about $140 million, allowing the district to have money during slow times and also keeping the district’s bond rating at a high level. Without correction, though, that reserve could drop to $90 million by 2028 and would continue to slide.
Diop recommended that people follow the budget process on bit.ly/mpsbudget27.
The meeting at Edison is one of eight being held around the city, with two more scheduled in January. By February, preliminary budgets will be sent to schools and departments. The board will approve a balanced budget in June.