Anoka-Hennepin School District Addresses Deficit with Nearly $20 Million in Cuts
To address the district’s $21 million deficit, The Anoka-Hennepin School Board made millions in budget cuts Monday to administration, while avoiding cuts to classroom positions for the upcoming school year.
The Anoka-Hennepin superintendent laid out three options before the board Monday night: immediate cuts, gradual cuts with a referendum, or gradual cuts without a referendum.
Superintendent Cory McIntyre said the big vote came to the board after months of meetings on budgetary concerns. After presenting the three options, he acknowledged the board and staff’s work on the plan.
“You each bring different priorities, interests, expectations and perspectives to the table. It’s hard to meet them all, but I think that’s the richness of this board, and it really does ensure we are looking at it from every angle,” McIntyre said.
Throughout the course of the three-hour meeting, some board members argued the taxpayers should have a voice with a referendum. While others, like co-chair Zach Arco, said much of the district’s budgetary issues shouldn’t fall on taxpayers.
Arco said much of the district’s budget concerns come from underfunded state mandates.
“At this time, as much as I am for the district and want to do as good for the district as possible, I think it’s better to just do the best with what we’ve got, send our feedback to the state and let them correct the errors that they’ve made,” Arco said.
Board Votes 6-0 on Gradual Cuts
The board voted 3-3 on immediate cuts. They also voted 3-3 on gradual cuts with a referendum. That meant both of those motions failed.
Despite lengthy deliberation and failed passage of amendments, the board eventually voted 6-0 on gradual cuts without a referendum.
That option reduced about $9 million of district and central office jobs, adding to a $5 million district/central office reduction enacted last spring. The $9 million reduction begins immediately and equals more than 200 jobs.
An additional $5 million allocated to instructional coaches and student intervention and support staff will be reduced in the 2026-27 school year. Those positions will remain for the 2025-26 school year.
Including the other administrative cuts, that adds up to about $19 million in total budget reductions.
There is no plan for an operating referendum, though a recommendation said the board will review options later on if necessary.
The full meeting can be viewed on the Anoka-Hennepin Youtube page.
