What's happening, in plain English
Minneapolis Public Schools has more buildings than students, a budget that doesn't balance, and a board that has asked for options to change that. This fall those options become decisions.
The short version
Roughly 29,000-30,000 students in buildings built for about 43,000. More than half of schools are under 70% full.
The ~$1 billion 2026-27 budget was adopted with a $37-40 million shortfall, and reserves are below board policy.
In October 2025 it asked the superintendent for information on closing, consolidating and repurposing schools.
The superintendent's Sept 15, 2026 presentation shows Kenny as an unprogrammed building in Option 1, Option 2 and Option 3. The presenter said it aloud: "By home address, Kenny students would join Armatage or Windom." No vote, no public comment.
Asked how much of the deficit the plan solves, the deputy superintendent said closures are "not something that's like a huge cost savings." Nobody gave the number that makes a school "optimal." Three members said the timeline is too short. The district said options can be combined and it wants to hear what it missed.
Feedback runs Sept 16 to Oct 16, with one community meeting per high school pathway Sept 30 to Oct 9. Kenny's is Oct 8 at Southwest High School. Initial feedback goes to the board Oct 20. Staff say decisions after Nov 10 would push changes from fall 2027 to fall 2028. A public hearing is required before any closure; no date has been set.
Not in the legal sense. Every step happened at a noticed public meeting, and the documents are online. But the record is spread across dozens of board packets, and key terms like "parameters," "holistic program size" and "sweet spot" don't sound like school closures. That's why most families haven't heard of it. This site exists to close that gap, not to claim anything was hidden.
The calendar
- Dec 2023Board adopts the transformation resolution
- Oct 2025Board asks for information on closures, consolidation and repurposing (7-1)
- Apr-May 2026Work sessions set five "parameters" and the calendar
- Jun 9, 2026Board directs the superintendent to develop options
- Sep 15, 2026Superintendent presents three options. Kenny closes in all three. Board asks ~30 questions; no vote
- Sep 16 - Oct 16, 2026NowOnline survey and interactive map; staff meetings at the listed schools (including Kenny) from Sept 16
- Sep 30 - Oct 9, 2026Community meetings, one per high school pathway, with child care and interpreters. Kenny's: Oct 8, Southwest High School.
- Oct 13, 2026Regular business meeting with public comment. Director Callahan asked for per-school savings and two other answers by this date
- Oct 20, 2026Work session: initial community feedback reported. District calls it a checkpoint
- Date not setPublic hearing, required by law before any school closes
- Nov 3, 2026School board election (5 of 9 seats)
- By Nov 10, 2026Board decisions for changes in 2027-28
- Mid-Nov 2026Enrollment opens for 2027-28
- Fall 2027Changes take effect
Sources: Oct 14, 2025 minutes; May 19, 2026 timeline summary; Sept 15, 2026 presentation (slide 107) and meeting recording. Full detail on the timeline.
The five parameters
In April 2026 staff laid out five "parameters," the rules the options must follow. The board decides the first three; staff use them to plan the last two. Tap one to see what it means for Kenny. [Apr 7, 2026]
The minimum number of students a school needs to offer the full "MPS student experience" (arts, intervention, counselors, electives), set by grade band and school type. The board was asked to "acknowledge that there is a minimum enrollment size" before any number was set.
What it means for Kenny: Still the underlying rule, and still unwritten. MPS closes Kenny without ever publishing the number. On Sept 15, Director Norvell asked for each school's enrollment against that number and got no answer.
Three different yardsticks
District documents use several ways to judge whether a building is full enough. The board hasn't formally adopted any of them. Which one wins matters for Kenny (312 of ~389 seats on the official Oct 1, 2025 count).