MINNEAPOLIS — Parents of Minneapolis Public Schools students are organizing against proposed changes that could reshape school assignments across the city, including the possible closure or consolidation of as many as 16 school buildings.
The district presented three school transformation options to the school board on Sept. 15 after several years of planning and community engagement. The proposals are tied to declining enrollment, underused school buildings and concerns about how resources are distributed across the district.
No final decision has been made. School Board Chair Collin Beachy said Sept. 21 that the proposals could still change as the board considers feedback from families and the wider community.
For some parents, however, the uncertainty is already creating concern about where their children will attend school.
At Loring Elementary School in North Minneapolis, parents recently gathered to make signs opposing the proposed changes. Siri Lachmansingh, whose first-grade daughter attends Loring, said the uncertainty has been difficult for her family.
“My daughter, she just doesn’t know where she’s going to go to school and that’s tough,” Lachmansingh said.
Loring is included in all three of the district’s proposed Camden pathway options. Depending on the option selected, Loring students could be assigned to Jenny Lind, Cityview or Lucy Laney.
The proposals would affect more than school buildings. The district says between 12% and 14% of students could experience a school or attendance-boundary change under the options being considered. The changes could also involve mergers, program relocations and new attendance boundaries.
Why Minneapolis is considering the changes
Minneapolis Public Schools has been working on its transformation process since the school board initiated it in December 2023. The district says the goal is to create stronger academic and student-support opportunities by concentrating resources in fewer buildings.
District materials say many current resources are spread across buildings, contributing to differences in staffing, programming and student support. Under the proposed model, the district says students would have access to stronger academic programming, social-emotional services, arts, activities and athletics.
Declining enrollment is also a major factor. Recent reporting on the proposals found that the district has significantly more building capacity than students currently enrolled, while Minneapolis Public Schools is also facing a substantial budget shortfall.
District officials have said the transformation effort is focused on improving the student experience and concentrating resources rather than simply closing buildings to cut costs.
Still, the potential consolidation has raised concerns among parents who fear that closing neighborhood schools could encourage some families to leave the district, potentially putting additional pressure on enrollment.
Parents want more time before a decision
Lachmansingh is among the parents asking the school board to slow down the process. She said families have built relationships with teachers, classmates and their neighborhood schools and want those factors considered before major changes are approved.
The district has opened a public feedback process as it reviews the three proposals. Families can submit feedback through an online survey through Oct. 16.
The district is also holding community meetings in each of its seven high school pathways. All meetings are scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with interpreters and childcare available.
The schedule is:
- Camden High School: Sept. 30
- Washburn High School: Oct. 1
- Edison High School: Oct. 2
- South High School: Oct. 6
- North High School: Oct. 7
- Southwest High School: Oct. 8
- Roosevelt High School: Oct. 9
The district says feedback from students, staff, caregivers and community members will help shape the next stage of the process.
What happens next
The proposed changes are not scheduled to take effect immediately. According to Minneapolis Public Schools, if the school board approves changes for the 2027–28 school year, transition planning would begin after the board’s decision and continue through the start of that school year.
That means families still have an opportunity to review the proposals, attend community meetings and submit feedback before the board makes its decision.
For parents at schools such as Loring, the coming weeks could be especially important as the district weighs how to balance enrollment, available resources and the relationships families have built with their neighborhood schools.
