As Classes Start, Minneapolis Public Schools Face Declining Enrollment

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As Minneapolis Public Schools welcome students back on the first day of classes Tuesday, officials are weighing how to curb declining enrollment. 

At a Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education committee meeting last week, officials discussed a worrying trend: Indigenous students and students of color are disproportionately leaving the school district. To encourage retainment and recruitment of these students, MPS Superintendent Ed Graff convened the Enrollment Taskforce in March. 

Members of the taskforce shared some of their findings Tuesday. According to meeting documents, MPS saw a net loss of around 800 students last year, and 80% of those students were indigenous or students of color. Fifty percent were African American. 

Taskforce member Celina Martina, MPS executive director for community engagement, said the taskforce conducted phone interviews with more than 100 families who had left the district. The taskforce found many of those students chose to move to charter schools or schools in surrounding suburban districts, citing factors including moving, issues with transportation and a lack of affordable housing in the city. 

Mitch Roldan, another taskforce member and director of the MPS Office of the Ombudsperson, said school climate is also a factor for some families who chose to leave MPS. He said families who report bullying at their child's school don't always feel like the issue is properly addressed. 

"Often times, a parent will say, 'I've reported this numerous times to the school.' The parent or guardian's belief is that nothing happens," Roldan said.  

The taskforce's preliminary recommendations included providing training for faculty and staff and creating retention plan templates for schools across the district. But taskforce member and MPS Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Julie Schultz Brown acknowledged a one-size-fits-all approach won't address each school's specific needs, adding the taskforce will also work with schools individually.