Each year, Minneapolis Public Schools provides a spreadsheet that summarizes the budget allocations for each school across the district. Below are five things the budget spreadsheet tells us that the district didn’t share in its budget presentation to the finance committee on March 5.
1. The district projects enrollment will decrease next year by 1.5%
Most of the district’s funding is based on its enrollment, so the enrollment forecast plays a significant role in the budget allocations for the district’s schools. Overall the district expects 413 fewer students to enroll in September compared to the number of students enrolled as of February 1 of this year.
The largest decline is expected at the district’s middle schools, where it projects 3% fewer students in the fall. The district has consistently lost the most students at the transition from elementary to middle school, although some students return to the district for high school. Elementary and high schools are forecasted to lose 1% of their enrollment.
The district is expecting the largest percentage increase in enrollment at Wellstone High School, its specialized high school for multilingual students age 17-21, where the district expects enrollment to nearly double. Armatage, Dowling and the MPS K-5 Online Elementary Schools are expected to see enrollment increase more than 10%. Roosevelt and FAIR High Schools are also expected to have double digit enrollment increases.
Enrollment is expected to decline more than 5% at Anishinabe Academy, Hiawatha, Kenwood, Marcy Arts, Webster and Whittier Elementary Schools. The district also expects enrollment to decrease by more than 5% at its two K-8 magnet schools, Ella Baker and Sullivan. Anwatin and Northeast Middle Schools are both expected to lose more than 5% of enrollment, too.
At the high school level, Heritage Academy, South and Southwest have enrollment forecasted to decrease by more than 5% next year. Enrollment at Southwest High School should stabilize the following year when the last of the classes grandfathered in under the Comprehensive District Design graduates.
2. The district is increasing its spending on “gifted and talented” students by 37% next school year
Last year the district changed the way it spends dedicated State funding for “gifted and talented” students, which the district calls advanced learners. Previously, the district had used the funding to support a halftime coach at each school to help teachers differentiate their instruction for advanced learners. Those positions were eliminated in the 2022-23 school year.
This year the district instead allocated funding for a dedicated teacher for advanced learners. Every elementary and middle school received at least enough funding to pay for a teacher one day per week. Schools that had more students identified as advanced learners received additional funding.
Next year, the district is increasing the advanced learner allocation to some schools, while all schools will continue to receive funding for a teacher at least one day per week. Bryn Mawr, Burroughs, Howe, Hiawatha, Lake Harriet Upper, Lake Nokomis Keewaydin, Loring and Waite Park Elementary Schools will have at least a halftime teacher for advanced learners. Green Central and Field Elementary Schools will have funding for a teacher 60% of full time. Northeast Middle School is the only middle school where advanced learner funding will increase. The school will move from a 40% to a 60% of full time teaching position for advanced learners.
High schools do not receive funding for advanced learner teachers.
3. The district is reducing State achievement and integration funding to schools by 50%
Achievement and integration funding has been used to pay for staff at magnet schools to support their specific magnet theme since the implementation of the city-wide magnet schools in 2021 as part of the Comprehensive District Design. The district is eliminating the funding for those positions at school sites, although the district said it will continue to support magnet school programs through staff in the central office.
The district is increasing achievement and integration funding at some neighborhood schools, including Bryn Mawr, Cityview, Folwell, Hmong International Academy, Nellie Stone Johnson and Pratt Elementary Schools, Anwatin and Olson Middle Schools, and North High School.
4: The district is increasing funding for teachers to support English Learners by 20% next year
Overall, the school budgets to support English Learners are increasing by $3.8 million next school year. The increased support is not spread evenly across schools. Bancroft, Bryn Mawr, Cityview, Dowling, Folwell, Hmong International Academy, Lyndale, Nellie Stone Johnson, Northrop, Pratt, and Whittier Elementary Schools will all receive an increase of more than 20% next school year.
English Learner support for middle schools will increase by more than 50% next year. Andersen, Anwatin, Justice Page, Olson and Northeast Middle Schools will all receive at least 40% more funding to support English Learners next year. Henry and North High Schools will both receive at least 30% more funding to support English Learner students next year.
Ella Baker Global Humanities Magnet School, Heritage Academy High School, and Seward Elementary School will all receive at least 10% less English Learner funding next year.
5: The district is reducing support for International Baccalaureate programs, but increasing support at high schools for advanced academic coursework
The district is eliminating $2 million in funding from its elementary and middle school International Baccalaureate programs next year that have previously supported world language teachers at those schools. It is also cutting IB funding to high schools by almost $1 million. At high schools, the district is increasing its support for advanced academic coursework by $1 million, essentially offsetting the cuts to IB programming.
These changes are the reverse of changes the district made to funding for IB and advanced academics between the 2022-23 school year and the current school year. The district added about $3 million in funding to support IB programs in the current school year, compared to the year before. At the same time, the district reduced funding for advanced academics this year by $2 million compared to the 2022-23 school year.The net effect of these changes is that funding for these programs combined has stayed around $1.7 million for the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.
Funding for the elementary IB programs at Bancroft and Loring Elementary Schools will be reduced by more than half next year compared to the 2022-23 school year. For middle schools, funding for IB programs in 2024-25 will be about $700,000 less than it was in the 2022-23 school year.
