Minnesota’s largest school district, Anoka-Hennepin, is set to cut 200 central office jobs, including volunteer service coordinators, as part of a two-year plan to address a budget deficit exceeding $20 million. Additional cuts may be necessary next year.
Superintendent Cory McIntyre stated that the decision, approved after a three-hour school board meeting, was challenging but involved compromise among board members. Administrators aim to minimize the impact on classrooms and plan to seek new revenue sources from the State Legislature to avoid deeper cuts in the future.
The deficit stems from factors such as limited enrollment growth, the end of pandemic relief funds, inflation, and insufficient state and federal funding.
Anoka-Hennepin, serving nearly 40,000 students across 13 municipalities, faces significant financial challenges despite efforts to prioritize student needs.
