Minneapolis Public Schools held its first community forum on the district’s proposed “transformation” plan at Camden High School on Wednesday night. The meeting quickly turned into a passionate defense of two North Minneapolis schools—Loring Elementary and the FAIR School for Arts—that the district’s three proposals would close or merge, along with up to 14 other facilities.
Parents and teachers voice concerns
Daniel McMillan, a first‑grade teacher at Loring who lives nearby and sends his daughter to the school, described the plan as a “nuke” to the neighborhood, saying it would “destroy the heart of our community.” He asked the board, “What will Loring students actually gain?”
Long‑time resident La’Taijah Powell explained she moved her children from Hall STEM Academy to Loring because the school offers a full suite of programs—art, music, gym, Spanish and media—that she says are missing at other campuses. “Being able to experience all of that has made their day better,” she said.
Resource disparities highlighted
District budget documents show Hall STEM Academy currently funds only a one‑day‑a‑week music teacher and has no art teacher, while Loring employs a full‑time art teacher, a full‑time music teacher, and a half‑time Spanish teacher. Parents argue that these disparities give Loring students a clear advantage in literacy, mathematics and the arts.
Katie Fitzpatrick, whose children attended Loring, noted her son now plays in a school band and her daughter is ahead in Spanish compared to peers from schools without those programs. “Loring’s many specialists give our kids a head start,” she said.
Equity and special‑education concerns
Parents also warned that closing Loring could harm the North Side’s special‑education community. Kajuana Shepherd, a parent of a child in Loring’s special‑education program, said the process lacks transparency and could jeopardize services for children with individualized education plans.
Deputy Superintendent Ty Thompson, who is leading the transformation effort, responded that larger schools can provide more options for students with individualized plans, but he acknowledged the district’s limited funding and the need for consistent foundational experiences for all students.
Calls for board presence and transparency
Community members repeatedly asked why the school board was not present. Courtney Bell‑Duncan, executive director of a local education consultancy, said board members should be in the room to make decisions, noting that when the district considered closing North High School in 2010, board members attended the public forum.
Sharon El‑Amin, the North Minneapolis school board representative, waved from the audience but no other board members were present. District senior executive officer Ryan Strack explained that open‑meeting laws prevent a quorum of the nine‑member board from gathering outside an official meeting, and announced six more community meetings are scheduled.
Community reaction
Some audience members described the plan as “redlining,” drawing applause from the crowd. Others urged staff to keep microphones open, saying the district’s responses were not helping. The meeting, originally slated to end at 7:30 p.m., was extended to allow additional public comment.
While the district emphasizes that consolidating schools could stretch limited dollars across fewer facilities, parents and educators argue that the loss of Loring and FAIR would erase critical cultural and academic opportunities that have helped North Minneapolis students achieve higher test scores and broader educational experiences.
Next steps
The Minneapolis school board has not yet made a final decision on any of the three transformation proposals. District officials say they are listening and will consider the feedback gathered at this and upcoming meetings before voting.
Original reporting: Sahan Journal — read the source article.
