Job cuts are coming to the state's largest school district, Anoka-Hennepin. The board of education approved a two-year plan Monday night to cover a budget deficit that's in excess of $20 million.
The first to go are about 200 jobs in the Anoka-Hennepin central office, including volunteer service coordinators. More cuts could come in a year.
Superintendent Cory McIntyre spoke to Tom Hauser on the WCCO Morning News and says the board had to work to get to a decision and it didn't come easily.
"I think our board had a chance to get all their perspectives on the table and that was important to them," says McIntyre. "But in the end, they did find compromise. So I think that's important because we do need to move forward and address the current budget cuts. And then we're going to have to wrestle with this again in a year and we'll see what else we know by then."
Administrators say they will go to the State Legislature in hopes of finding new revenue sources.
The decision came following a three-hour meeting Monday, and it does include projected cuts that could directly impact classrooms but McIntyre does say they did their best to minimize those impacts. Administrators say they're hopeful of finding new revenue sources before having to make those second-round cuts.
"All six of our board members do share an interest in doing what they think is best for kids," McIntyre said. "There were five votes tonight, but they finally got to a solution. So it may take more time and conversation, but I'm proud of them for getting to a a decision because we do need to move forward."
The shortfall is blamed on limited growth, elimination of pandemic relief funds, inflation, and no additional federal or state revenue. Anoka-Hennepin has Minnesota's largest student enrollment, with nearly 40,000 students in 13 municipalities.
"No solution is perfect," McIntyre said.