Wave of school closings is biggest since early 1980s
With enrollments down and funds tight, at least 20 Twin Cities schools won't reopen next fall. The shutdowns are due to demographic and economic forces, as well as a greater choice of schools.
Not since the early 1980s has the end of the school year brought such a large wave of schools in the Twin Cities area that will not reopen next fall.
This week thousands of students and teachers in at least 20 schools are packing up their desks and their memories and heading to new buildings next fall. Two of the state's largest districts -- Anoka-Hennepin and St. Paul -- are experiencing their largest downsizing ever.The shutdowns are due to a combination of demographic and economic forces, and a greater choice of schools.
Most acutely affected are those two big districts and Minneapolis, where fewer students have created "excess space" in some buildings. That slack, coupled with the bleakest education funding forecast in a generation, has left districts with little choice