Minneapolis Public Schools hosts listening session on new district design plan

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis Public Schools is starting the process of making some pretty big changes to programs and boundaries, concerning many parents.

Monday night, the district held its first public listening session on the comprehensive district design plan.

The changes will likely impact about 60 percent of the students in the district. Their main goal is to improve equity among students and to close achievement gaps.

Officials say students of color just aren’t getting the kind of education they hope to give every kid. The district says about 10,000 families leave the Minneapolis public school district every year and go to charter schools or schools with open enrollment. About 80 percent of those families – are families of color.

The district laid out five possible plans on how they hope to improve equity. That includes changing which kids go to what schools, giving families better access to magnet or specialty schools, and changing academic programing so students have better access to programs like languages. 

The district said it is trying to find a balance when it comes to allowing kids to go to schools close to home, while also diversifying schools – which they say is better for all students. 

There are several more of these meetings scheduled across the city in the coming weeks. The district is scheduled to vote on final changes in April. The earliest the plan would go into place is the 2021-2022 school year.

To learn more about the basics of the Comprehensive District Design plan, click here.

To learn more about why the district feels the need to create a new Comprehensive District Design plan, click here. 

To learn about upcoming meetings, click here.