Now that the state legislature has a budget deal in place, some of Minnesota’s largest school districts can now make final decisions about their budgets, which could impact your child’s education. As reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Monday night, a $66 billion two-year state budget has finally been set – three weeks after the initial deadline.
Members of both Minneapolis and St. Paul Public Schools – as well as others across Minnesota – will be taking a look at their numbers to understand what the finalized state budget deal means for their bottom lines.
On Tuesday night, new details about the updated budget plans for next school year are expected in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.
In Minneapolis, Superintendent Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams has previously said the district may have to make fewer cuts than originally expected to close a $75 million budget shortfall. However, the district is still talking about cutting 45 special education assistant positions, and parents have shared concerns about class sizes.
“It is going to scare families away who have been so excited about coming to school when they see class sizes of 30. Kindergartners, five-year-olds, need to have attention from their teacher, they need to feel seen and connected,” said parent Abby Armstrong.
Meanwhile, in St. Paul, the district is considering cuts to early childhood education programming and family resources as it works to close about a $50 million shortfall. School leaders there have proposed using reserve funds to cover a big part of that shortfall but have said cuts will have to make up the rest.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS will track what happens at those board meetings on Tuesday and provide updates. Both districts will be meeting at 5:30 p.m. You can find the agenda for the meeting in Minneapolis by clicking HERE and the agenda for St. Paul’s meeting HERE.
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