Robbinsdale Area Schools Moving At ‘Incredible’ Speed To Cut $20 Million

Robbinsdale Area Schools Moving At ‘Incredible’ Speed To Cut $20 Million

Robbinsdale Area Schools’ top administrator says the district is moving at “incredible” speed to cut more than $20 million from the budget.

“Decisions, especially for staffing, have to be made by the end of March — for $21 million.” Superintendent Teri Staloch told the school board on Jan. 21. “So, usually, you know — I know of a district that had three years to do $17 million in cuts … we are working as fast as we can. We also want to be really wise.”

In November, district officials discovered an error in the budgeting process that resulted in a $19-21 million shortfall.

That means substantial cuts need to go into effect before the start of the 2025-26 school year.

“While I didn’t know about the $21 million when I was hired and started on July 1, I knew we’d have to make some budget reductions,” Staloch said. “The urgency, the complexity, and magnitude of this is just greater than what we had anticipated.”

District officials expect to make final recommendations for the fiscal chopping block in March.

In the long term, building closures and voter-approved tax increases are still being considered to stabilize district finances.

Building considerations will be weighed against enrollment trends.

“We’ll have our demographer come back and help us with some of that,” Staloch said. “And then as we study all of this, really looking at our buildings, at what buildings do we repurpose, what do we renovate, and what do we close. And then again, I’ve been really vocal about potentially looking at a bond request to see how that helps support the many changes that need to take place.”

The district is hosting a budget town hall at 6:30 p.m. at Armstrong High School on Jan. 23.

SOURCE: CCX MEDIA