In a decision process that began in the spring district officials have decided to close seven Minneapolis Schools at the end of the current school year. The debate was an emotional one in which school officials claimed too few students and too many unused classrooms made the move necessary. Current enrollment in Minneapolis Schools is around 36,000, while classroom space exists to accommodate up to 50,000 students. This has led to the situation at Minneapolis Schools like Holland Community School. The north side elementary only enrolled 190 children in kindergarten through fifth grade during the 2006-2007 school year.
Operation Chief for Minneapolis Schools, Steve Liss, has stated that the north side of the district has lost 50% of its students in recent years. Overall enrollment in Minneapolis Schools has declined by 3,000 students in the last two years. But is this decision a necessity? Or is it partially driven by socioeconomic factors?
Community activist Al Flowers fought against the proposed closing because he claimed that his African American community was targeted, and that other parent groups had successfully lobbied against closings in more affluent...