Robbinsdale Board Votes To End Magnet Program at Fair School Crystal
Amid mounting budget tensions, the Robbinsdale Area School Board voted Monday, Jan. 5, to shutter the middle school magnet program at Fair School Crystal.
The program change goes into effect for the 2026-27 school year.
“This has not been an easy process,” said Supt. Teri Staloch. “However, this is the process that is necessary for long-term stability and success in our school district.”
Students attending the Fair School Crystal magnet program will be transferred to Plymouth Middle School or Sandburg Middle School based on their location within attendance boundaries.
With the loss of the magnet program, the district says it will implement Spanish Immersion programs at Plymouth and Sandburg middle schools and expand theater programming at both sites.
With the programming change, the Fair School Crystal building will be repurposed for Highview Academy and Robbinsdale Virtual Academy programming.
Some of the district’s administrative offices will also be moved to Fair School Crystal.
Meanwhile, programming at Fair Pilgrim Lane in Plymouth will remain unchanged. The board had previously considered moving the student body at Pilgrim Lane to the Fair School Crystal building.
Due to an accounting error, the Robbinsdale School District had been grappling with a $21 million budget deficit for months.
District administrators also cite aging facilities and years of declining enrollment as significant factors in plans to close schools.
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) placed the district in a monitoring status known as statutory operating debt. That means the district is required to submit a plan for financial solvency by Jan. 31.
The school board has already approved the closure of Noble Elementary, Sonnesyn Elementary, Robbinsdale Middle School, and the Education Service Center.
Parent Response
Madalyn Bailey, whose daughter attends Fair Crystal, told CCX News she was “riddled with sadness” and “devastated” after the board’s “gut-wrenching” decision to close the school.
“I was overwhelmed,” she said. “Currently I’m frustrated and I’m sad.”
Bailey started a a petition called “Save FAIR School Crystal,” which had 1,110 signatures by the time this story was published.
Meanwhile, the school offered Bailey’s child a place to thrive and feel supported by everyone, she said.
“To see that gutted really breaks my heart,” she said.
Bailey is now considering taking her daughter out of the district.
In December, students at Fair School Crystal walked out of class to protest the closure of their school’s magnet programming. Parents also gathered outside.
Contentious Meeting
The Monday night meeting was well attended and contentious.
Jeers and celebration occasionally interrupted board discussions.
Board Member Caroline Long moved to direct district staff to request a deadline extension from MDE for its statutory operating debt plan, but that motion failed.
According to the district’s legal counsel, the deadline for the plan is set in state statute and is not subject to MDE approval.
Board Member Aviva Hillenbrand said the decision couldn’t be put off, even if that means board members being voted out of office in an upcoming election.
“Tough decisions have to be made — this is where we are today,” she said.
After a lengthy discussion, the board voted unanimously to keep Pilgrim Lane open in its current state. That decision was made without a public hearing.
The vote to close the Fair Crystal magnet program was approved in a 4-2 vote, with one member abstaining.
Board Members Long and Helen Bassett cast dissenting votes, while Board Member DJ Brynteson — who was sworn in as a member just prior to the vote on Monday — abstained from voting.
The decision was met with shouting, and the board again entered into a recess.
Related: Robbinsdale Board Votes To Shutter Three Schools, Admin Building
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