Minneapolis Public Schools · School Transformation

Minneapolis is deciding which schools to close, merge or change. Kenny should stay.

The process has been public for nearly three years, but it lives in board packets few families ever see. Here's what's happening, who decides, and why Kenny Community School is worth keeping, with every number sourced.

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Where things stand

Sep 16, 2026

What the board heard on Sept 15: no savings figure, no size number, and no question about Kenny

We listened to all 3 hours and 18 minutes. The deputy superintendent told the board closures are "not something that's like a huge cost savings." Nobody would say what enrollment makes a school "optimal." Three members said the timeline is too short. No board member asked about Kenny. The vote is planned for Nov 10.

All updates

Sept 15 work session, 3:13 into the recording

"It's not something that's like a huge cost savings... that hasn't been the intent."

Deputy Superintendent Ty Thompson, asked how much of the deficit the closures solve. Nobody could say what size makes a school "optimal." Three board members said the timeline is too short. We listened to all 3 hours and 18 minutes.

What the board heard Every question and answer

We read all 118 slides

The district's own numbers don't support closing Kenny

The Sept 15 presentation rates Kenny's building large enough, has no cost/benefit analysis, and shows two kindergarten counts 1,391 children apart. Ten problems, each with the slide number.

See the 10 problems Download the presentation

days

until the board's planned vote on the final plan (Nov 10)

Per the Sept 15 presentation. District staff say decisions after Nov 10 would likely push changes to 2028-29.

In the news

Sept 16, WCCO Radio. A Kenny parent on The WCCO Morning News: the district has not reported on its 2020 reorganization since January 2023, and it is now asking the board to decide on 15 to 16 buildings in about 30 days.

Segment: "Budget woes could force Minneapolis Public Schools to shutter up to 16 buildings!" on The WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar.

Read the update Listen to the interview

Kenny isn't closing because it's too small.

By the district's own measure, Kenny's building is used efficiently, and the Sept 15 presentation codes Kenny as large enough for the MPS student experience. It closes in all three options anyway, and the deck never states a minimum size.

Read the case for Kenny

of design capacity in use this year

326 students projected for 2026-27, in a building built for ~389. [MPS budget] MPS calls 70-90% "efficient." The last official state count, Oct 1, 2025, was 312 students, or 80%. [MDE]

0.0%

of students attend consistently

vs. 64.1% across MPS, 75.5% statewide (2024). [MDE]

2026

Minnesota School of Excellence

Named by the Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association. [Kenny Elementary]

meet state math standards

81.5% meet reading standards (2025), about double the district. [MDE]

minimum enrollment numbers stated in the 118 slides or the 3-hour meeting

MPS calls schools "too small" and "optimally sized" without publishing a threshold. Director Norvell asked for it on Sept 15 and did not get an answer. [Presentation] Meeting

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Check the record

What you've heard vs. what the documents say

Tap a card.

Key dates

Sep

Board meeting · 5:45 PM

Board Finance Committee meeting

The board's Finance Committee meets two weeks after the options were presented. Watch for any savings figures for the proposed closures, which Director Callahan asked for by Oct 13.

Oct

Community meeting · 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Southwest pathway community meeting — this is Kenny's meeting

Child care and interpreters (Spanish, Hmong, Somali) provided. Ask for a fourth option that keeps Kenny open. Other pathways meet on different nights: Camden Sept 30, Washburn Oct 1, Edison Oct 2, South Oct 6, North Oct 7, Roosevelt Oct 9 — Southwest (Kenny's) is Oct 8.

Oct

Deadline · 9:00 AM

Deadline to pre-register for public comment (Oct 13 meeting)

20 online slots, first come, with priority to students, then caregivers and staff speaking to agenda items. Two minutes each.

Oct

Board meeting · 5:30 PM

Board regular business meeting (public comment)

Five in-person comment slots open for sign-up 5:00-5:15 PM; 20 online slots close 9 AM Oct 12. Director Callahan asked the district to answer three questions by this meeting: per-school savings, how many displaced students are expected to stay, and what each listed school needs to stay open.

Recent updates

Sep 16, 2026

On WCCO: the district has not reported on its last reorganization since 2023

Kenny parent Rob Thesing joined The WCCO Morning News the day after the board heard the three options, and made the case that MPS has not measured its 2020 reorganization before starting the next one.

Sep 15, 2026

Kenny closes in all three options

The superintendent's presentation is public. Kenny is closed in Option 1, Option 2 and Option 3. There is no option that keeps Kenny open. Posted during the work session; our post-meeting update follows.

Sep 15, 2026

Why this site exists

The transformation process has been public for nearly three years, but it lives in slide decks, board packets and jargon most families never see. This site puts the record in one place and makes the case for Kenny.

Get an email when something changes

Options, meeting dates, votes. Nothing else.

Understand it in 10 minutes

1 / 6

What's happening

The process in plain English: parameters, jargon, calendar.

Read

2 / 6

The case for Kenny

The data, the real risk, and the strongest arguments on both sides.

Read

3 / 6

The Sept 15 meeting

Every board question, every answer, and what the district said off the slides.

Read

4 / 6

The money

Deficits, accounting errors, and what closures actually save.

Read

5 / 6

Who decides

Nine board members, how they voted, how to reach them.

Read

6 / 6

The documents

Every source we used, summarized.

Read

Kenny is named in all three options. The superintendent's Sept 15, 2026 presentation closes Kenny in Option 1, Option 2 and Option 3. There is no option that keeps Kenny open. The same deck classifies Kenny as orange, "large enough for MPS student experience, approaching optimal enrollment," and the board still has not adopted a minimum school size.The options were presented at the Sept 15 work session. No vote was taken and there was no public comment. Board members asked about 30 questions; none was about Kenny. The district said the options can be combined and that it wants to hear what it missed. What the board heard, what the numbers show, or download the presentation.

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