Minneapolis superintendent to present plans that could close schools

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent is slated to present her proposals for "school transformation" on Tuesday during a school board meeting that could include plans for school closures.

Minneapolis school transformation plans

The backstory:

In June, the Minneapolis School Board passed a resolution directing Superintendent Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams to develop three options for its school transformation process.

The options were due by the end of September and are now set to be presented to the school board at a meeting on Tuesday evening.

What we don't know:

The exact details of the three proposals are not included on the school board agenda.

Local perspective:

The presentation will come just days after the school board approved a contract extension for the superintendent.

What they're saying:

In a video posted last week, Dr. Sayles-Adams warns herself that the plans will include "some significant changes."

She says while some proposals may be "universally celebrated" others "may cause trepidation." But she adds: "The alternative is continued budget cuts, schools with too few students, a struggle to provide consistent opportunities across the city and ongoing instability."

Sayles-Adams says she's heard a wide array of recommendations when it comes to school closures over her tenure as superintendent.

"I've heard we should close dozens of schools and that should not close a single school ever," she said. "I recognize many of you were here during the last major restructure plan and many more are aware of how it went. While I cannot change what happened in the past, the lessons I have learned from those who have shared their experiences are be clear about the why we must make changes, show our rationale, and be open to feedback of those who've been here and those who would be impacted."

What the district wants to fix

What we know:

With the school transformation process, the district is prioritizing boosting its enrollment strategy and targets while adjusting resources that the district says are being stretched thin across an "inefficient footprint" as Sayles-Adams describes it.

Sayles-Adams says "chronic underfunding" of education, increased school choice, and population demographic changes are forcing the district to "make structural changes."

Building use reports for the district show some schools are severely underenrolled. The report for middle schools showed three schools near or below 50% enrollment. A building report for high schools showed seven of eight schools near 60% enrollment or lower.

The district considers any school with enrollment under 70% as "underutilized."

What's next:

Dr. Sayles-Adams will present her recommendations during Tuesday's meeting starting at 5 p.m.

The school board will weigh the proposals over the coming weeks and hopes to act in time for the changes to take effect for the 2027-28 school year.