Minneapolis Public Schools no longer considering plan to close over a dozen schools

Twin Cities News Minneapolis Public Schools no longer considering plan to close over a dozen schools By WCCO Staff, Ashley Grams Ashley Grams Reporter Reporter Ashley Grams joined WCCO in the summer of 2025. She's excited to be in Minnesota after spending much of her life on the West Coast. Read Full Bio Ashley Grams Updated on: October 13, 2026 / 10:18 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota Add CBS News on Google Minneapolis Public Schools leaders say the district will not be moving forward with a controversial plan that would have closed more than a dozen schools.The board unanimously passed a resolution effectively putting the transformation plan on pause, coming to an agreement after over four hours of discussion on Tuesday."I must recommend now that the school board does not move forward with any school closures or mergers at this time," Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams said during the meeting."As long as I sit in this chair, I will not entertain any motion or any resolution that proposes to close schools in 2027-28," School Board Chair Collin Beachy added.Some board members expressed surprise at the superintendent's declaration."This is a blindside move, even though I am grateful because my fight was to not have any school closures," Sharon El-Amin said.El-Amin and Greta Callagan proposed the official pause on the transformation plan, which includes a focus instead on bolstering enrollment. Many parents in the room welcomed the decision."I believe that shows a sign of true leadership and I think it's one small step forward in establishing trust with the parents like myself," Robert Thesing, parent of a kindergartener, said.Two dozen people spoke during the public comment period of Tuesday's meeting, including students and parents."I think it's really encouraging that she is taking that feedback and that she is changing her position," Samantha Pipkorn, a parent, said. The Minneapolis Federation of Educators said in a statement on Tuesday night that it is "incredibly thankful" to everyone who made their voices heard about the transformation plan."The idea that we can 'transform' Minneapolis Public Schools by shuttering 27% of the district has thankfully been proven to be a non-starter with the people of this city," the union said.Last month, the district announced three proposals, each of which suggests closing 15 or 16 schools.  The schools targeted are operating below capacity. Minneapolis Public Schools also faces budget constraints, and district leaders pointed to the fact that schools receive funding based on enrollment. The district said the idea was to consolidate services and programs to help more kids, not necessarily to save more money. The district has been struggling with declining enrollment for years; it has buildings for 43,000 students, but has about 30,000 students right now. Minneapolis Public Schools held a series of listening sessions to hear feedback regarding the plans earlier this month. In: Minneapolis Featured Local Savings HOURCAR users rally to save car-sharing service ahead of shutdown Minneapolis firefighters hurt battling fire; Indigenous archive at risk State's largest Dakota language archives feared lost in Minneapolis fire Evanston, Skokie School District 65 make final recommendation to close 2 schools 2 hurt in shooting across from former Minneapolis Kmart site, police say Marietta superintendent uses bonus to help students pay college application fees PhilaPort building a new berth in South Philly, among other upgrades Monroe Schools sued over alleged transgender athlete on visiting team