Anoka-Hennepin closing six schools
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
The Anoka-Hennepin School Board will close six schools next year in the wake of a budget crunch and lower enrollment.
Board members voted Monday to close following schools:
Champlin Elementary in Champin, Minn.;
L.O. Jacob and Sorteberg Elementary Schools in Coon Rapids, Minn.;
Sandburg Middle School and the Peter Enich Kindergarten Center in Anoka, Minn.;
and the Riverview Specialty School for Math and Environmental Science in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
The plan is expected to save the district $3.1 million in operating costs.
Two others schools in the district -- Park View Early Childhood Center and Washington Elementary School -- will be put to other uses. Park View will transition from a kindergarten center into an elementary school and Washington will change from a K-5 school into a sixth grade center.
The school board's announcement noted that the district was limited in some cases from closing schools as it would have resulted in "racially isolated" schools.
The school closures are the first for the district in 50 years, when it consolidated some one-room schools into larger buildings. The district has 2,000 fewer students than it did five years ago.
Board members will now face the task of redrawing school attendance boundaries for most of the district's elementary-age students.
