St. Paul school district proposes major budget cuts next year, including staff reductions and food menu changes
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Big changes are on the horizon for tens of thousands of Twin Cities students, as St. Paul Public Schools is the latest school district in Minnesota to deal with a major financial shortfall.
At the start of the year, St. Paul needed to find more than $100 million. They have a plan to cut that shortfall down to about $20 million, but they have to keep cutting before next year.
School districts can't count on millions in federal COVID-19 funding next year, so they're being forced to tighten their belts. In St. Paul, that means 58 specialty staff and 15 teachers in middle and high school will potentially lose their jobs.
School food menus will also be changing to account for fewer staff members. An early childhood hub will also be consolidated into one site.
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An expert believes these cuts will strain teachers and can ultimately impact students
"I really believe our school districts are trying to keep cuts away from the classroom as much as they can, but you reach a point where the only way to make it work is to let those class sizes go up and cut teachers," Katie Pekel, executive director of education leadership at the University of Minnesota, said.
The district is considering tapping into a rainy day fund.
These budget conversations are happening as Superintendent Joe Gothard is leaving for Madison in just over a month.
Minneapolis Public Schools is also facing a historic budget shortfall, with the district citing declining enrollment, rising costs and the end to federal COVID-19 funding. Both school districts will vote on their proposed budgets in June.
