Connect with us

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis School Board approves major budget cuts

Published

on

Minneapolis School Board approves major budget cuts


​The Minneapolis Public School Board approved its 2024-25 budget Tuesday night without discussion.

MPS faced a $110 million gap due to the end of federal COVID-19 emergency funding and a decrease in revenue due to declining enrollment; increasing costs also contributed to the gap, according to the district.

The approved budget includes the assumption that 4.75% of positions will be unfilled, according to the resolution. It also bridges the gap by using assigned fund balance dollars, cuts to schools and department reductions.

The budget was presented at a Committee of the Whole meeting two weeks ago. According to the presentation, it includes funding cuts to schools — most significantly to magnet schools, Roosevelt High School and Camden High School, with each seeing a reduction of more than 10%.

Advertisement

Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, parents spoke in opposition to the loss of a fourth grade teacher at Lake Nokomis Community School – Keewaydin. They said it would lead to classes with more than 40 students.

“I’m not threatening, I’m not demanding, but we need another teacher. And for all the cuts that are about to happen, having enough teachers should be table stakes,” said Greg Thompson, a parent of an MPS student. “I know, to some extent, choices are limited, but please don’t put us in a position to choose between our community and our kids. I’ll choose my kids, and that, one way or another, is not in a classroom of 40.”

Heather McNiel, whose child is in fourth grade at the school, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS she was shocked to learn of the loss of the teacher within the past two weeks.

“We don’t believe in this kind of class size, and so what we’re very afraid of is parents who have the capacity will be moving their kids out, and we’ll lose even more funding and we’re creating a kind of death spiral in our schools,” she said. “This is kind of an untenable situation.”

The district did not confirm the reduction of a fourth grade teacher but said in a statement, “Minneapolis Public Schools is excited to see preliminary data showing higher student placements at several of our schools including Lake Nokomis Community School – Keewaydin. We have been working for many years to attract and retain as many students as we can. In the coming weeks and throughout the summer, we will closely review school and district enrollment data and work with school leaders to ensure our students have what they need to be successful. That may include additional staff and budget adjustments if necessary.”

Advertisement

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS requested the number of teacher positions being eliminated district-wide but has not yet received that information from the district.

The budget also includes reductions to central office departments, including a 50.9% cut to communications and marketing, a 42.8% cut to engagement and external relations and a 65.8% cut to strategic initiatives.



Source link

Advertisement

Minneapolis, MN

Woman dies in Minneapolis hit-and-run crash, driver still at large

Published

on

Woman dies in Minneapolis hit-and-run crash, driver still at large


Minneapolis police respond to a hit-and-run that left a woman seriously injured,  (FOX 9)

A woman hit by a vehicle that fled the scene in Minneapolis over the weekend died Monday from her injuries, according to Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

Minneapolis hit-and-run crash

Advertisement

The backstory:

Police say they responded to reports of a hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian at about 3:10 a.m. on Sunday in the 1600 block of Marshall Street Northeast. 

Officers then found a woman in her 20s suffering from potentially life-threatening injuries. She was taken to the hospital.

Advertisement

Investigators say the woman was crossing Marshall Street while carrying a bag of food when she was struck by a speeding vehicle.

Driver still at large

What you can do:

Advertisement

Police say no arrests have been made in connection with the incident. The vehicle is described as a dark-colored sedan that was possibly driven by a man.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Minneapolis police by emailing policetips@minneapolismn.gov or calling 612-673-5845 to leave a voicemail.

Advertisement
Road incidentsCrime and Public SafetyMinneapolis



Source link

Continue Reading

Minneapolis, MN

ICE at US airports: No sign of agents at MSP

Published

on

ICE at US airports: No sign of agents at MSP


ICE agents are set to assist TSA officers at airports nationwide due to staffing shortages caused by the ongoing partial government shutdown.

However, it remains unclear whether Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will be among the locations receiving additional personnel. 

Advertisement

ICE agents to assist TSA at airports 

What we know:

The decision to deploy ICE agents comes as TSA officers have been working without pay for more than a month, leading to widespread staffing challenges. Hundreds of TSA employees have reportedly resigned, while others have called in sick, contributing to long security lines during the busy spring break travel season.

Advertisement

Federal officials say ICE agents will not replace TSA officers but would likely assist with certain tasks, such as monitoring exit lanes or checking passenger identification. The goal is to free up trained TSA officers to focus on more specialized duties like X-ray screening.

The Department of Homeland Security has not released a list of airports that will receive ICE support. In a statement Monday, the agency said in part, “President Trump is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours-long lines at airports across the country.”

Advertisement

Security at MSP Airport

Local perspective:

At the MSP airport, operations appeared to be running smoothly. However, some passengers are skeptical about the effectiveness of using ICE agents. “Yeah, not a fan of that, I don’t think it will make the situation any better,” said a couple.

Advertisement

MSP officials would not confirm or deny if ICE agents would be deployed locally, but emphasized that wait times at MSP have remained relatively low. 

“During the partial government shutdown, wait times have consistently remained under 30 minutes at MSP Airport, despite heavy spring break travel. The relatively low wait times are a testament to the commitment of the local TSA team,” a statement read. “We’re grateful for the TSA’s continued service to maintain smooth and secure travel for MSP passengers.”

What we don’t know:

Advertisement

It’s still unclear how many ICE agents will be deployed or which locations will be impacted. 

The Source: This story uses statements from DHS and MSP Airport officials. 

Advertisement
Minneapolis-St. Paul International AirportTravelTravel News



Source link

Continue Reading

Minneapolis, MN

Heartbreak in Minneapolis: Ole Miss Falls to Minnesota 65-63 in Final Seconds – The Rebel Walk

Published

on

Heartbreak in Minneapolis: Ole Miss Falls to Minnesota 65-63 in Final Seconds – The Rebel Walk


MINNEAPOLIS — Ole Miss women’s basketball had the type of game expected against Minnesota in a NCAA Tournament Round of 32 game — on the opponent’s home court. As anticipated, Sunday’s contest was a low-scoring game with big momentum swings, decisive moments and a large, loud crowd. Sure enough, it came down to last second — the final .8 to be exact — and within mere inches of being an epic moment in Ole Miss’ history. Alas, it’ll go into Minnesota’s history books as a 65-63 victory.

First Half

With both teams being so strong on defense, the expectation that this game would be a defensive battle was indeed correct.

Both sides had a combined 14 turnovers in the first 20 minutes and each forced the other’s offense into several awkward possessions. Ole Miss had two fewer turnovers but spent most of the half trailing the Gophers.

Having star player Cotie McMahon on the sideline for most of the first quarter with two fouls didn’t help the Rebels’ offensive struggles. In the first half, she played just ten minutes of the 20. Half. That’s it.

Advertisement

After the game, Coach Yo talked about what it meant to have her out for what ended up being almost 20 minutes of the 40-minute game.

I was in the locker room, just thinking about other star players on teams. I haven’t seen them foul out in a March Madness game. Paige, Caitlin…I just haven’t seen the best players get fouled out. From my point of view, the last call was incorrect We watched it 1500 times. One of the things I do understand is officials are human….I don’t think that is why we lost the game. I just know that Cotie is the leading scorer, the Newcomer of the Year, all the things — and she plays 20 minutes (of the game). It’s disappointing because these fans deserved more than that, the game deserves more than that. I just feel officiating as a whole needs to be looked at. I’m not just talking about this game..”

Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin

Minnesota ended the first quarter on a 15-6 run while McMahon was on the bench.

The Gophers shot 50% from the field in the first two quarters, including 4-for-6 on three-pointers. One of those threes was a halfcourt, buzzer-beater that gave them a five-point lead.

The second quarter was better for the Rebels, but even McMahon’s return to action couldn’t help fully close the gap. Several trips to the charity stripe (10-of-12) helped make the deficit just three points at halftime.

Advertisement

Second Half

McMahon’s foul trouble ended up being very costly.

Ole Miss had its chances in the final four minutes after McMahon fouled out of the game with the Rebels leading 59-54. She was a big reason, when in the game, Ole Miss played more like its usual “dictate and disrupt” style, going fast, forcing turnovers and getting to the foul line.The Gophers were the ones who looked out-of-sync. But once McMahon left, so did a key part of the Rebels’ offense.

Minnesota ended the game on an 11-4 run — yet only regained the lead back with 14.2 seconds remaining in the game.

Ole Miss had its chance and they nearly won the game that would have sent them to the Sweet 16.

Latasha Lattimore’s baseline drive for a layup was well drawn up and executed even better. However, it left 3.2 seconds on the clock which was more than enough time for the Gophers to inbound, dribble a few steps and drain the game-winning bucket.

Advertisement

Even then, Ole Miss wasn’t beaten. With 0.8 seconds on the clock, the Rebels drew up another play that gave Tianna Thompson a good look for a three. The shot, though, bounced off the front of the rim and the season comes to an end with the 65-63 loss.

Give Coach Yo’s Rebels credit. They never quit. When the regular season ended with a four-game losing streak and everyone had written them off, they dominated at the SEC Tournament, easily handling Gonzaga in the first round and come up just inches short of another Sweet 16 trip.

Team 51 didn’t achieve all of its goals, but it should be proud of the season it had and look towards a bright future for this program.

Ole Miss Leaders vs. Minnesota

  • Points: Sira Thienou, 18
  • Rebounds: Christeen Iwuala, 6
  • Assists: Cotie McMahon, 4

Next Up

The NCAA transfer portal opens April 6 for 15 days. With seven seniors on the current roster, look for Coach Yo to be very active — and very successful — yet again. Of course the Rebels do have some very talented players — like sophomores Sira Thienou and Tianna Thompson — who will be anchors for Team 52.

Advertisement

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com

Advertisement



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending