Minneapolis School District Faces Budget Shortfall and Teacher Shortage Amid Strain

Strategic Insights -

The Minneapolis School District is struggling to make ends meet, facing a $75 million budget shortfall and a potential teacher strike. One elementary school, Lake Harriet Lower, has taken matters into its own hands by using crowd-funded money to hire a reading interventionist, highlighting the district's strain.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Minneapolis School District serves 26,076 students and has a budget shortfall of $75 million.
  • Lake Harriet Lower Elementary School has used $22,000 of crowd-funded money to hire a reading interventionist.
  • The school board has voted to allow the use of PTA funds for staffing purposes, despite a recent rule change requiring manual review and approval.
  • Lake Harriet Lower received $46,217.18 in Title I funds in 2024, but the school does not receive specific dollars generated by the student-driven funding formula.
  • The school spends significantly less per pupil than other schools in the district, with $19,698.13 spent per pupil in 2024.
  • Activist Sarah Spafford Freeman has criticized the school board's decision, arguing it is "plainly inequitable" and benefits only students from schools with active PTAs.
  • Board member Sharon El-Amin has suggested pooling PTA funds across the district as a potential solution to address budget shortfalls and inequities.
  • The district's geographically large and socially diverse nature has raised concerns about providing adequate services to all constituents.

Statistics:

  • 26,076 students served by the Minneapolis School District.
  • $75 million budget shortfall.
  • $22,000 used from crowd-funded money to hire a reading interventionist at Lake Harriet Lower.
  • $46,217.18 in Title I funds received by Lake Harriet Lower in 2024.
  • $19,698.13 spent per pupil by Lake Harriet Lower in 2024.
  • $24,870.68 spent per pupil by Webster Elementary in 2024, which received $337,776.67 in Title I funds.

Sources:

  • The Center of the American Experiment, commentary on October 23, 2025.
  • Josiah Padley, Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment, josiah.padley@americanexperiment.org.
  • Minnesota Department of Education Data Report, 2024.
  • Lake Harriet Community School PTA, tax-exempt since 1945.
  • Minneapolis Public Schools board meeting transcript, October 14, 2024.