Minneapolis Public Schools wants to close as many as 16 neighborhood schools, and the board could vote on a final plan as soon as this November. District leaders say the changes will finally bring consistent art, music, and gym classes to every building. What they haven't said is how much money the plan would actually save, or whether any staff jobs are on the line.

The list on the table includes Bethune, Pratt, Lake Harriet Lower Campus, Lake Nokomis Wenonah, Loring, Kenny, and Hmong International Academy elementary schools, plus Anwatin Middle School, with several more elementary schools facing closure under at least one of the three proposals. The north and southwest sides of the city would be hit hardest, each losing two elementary schools no matter which option the board picks.

"We've been talking for a long time about the challenges facing our district," Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams told the board, according to the Minnesota Reformer. "Tonight, after years of analysis, listening and planning, we will be looking at what we might actually do about it."

For the families who live near these buildings, a school closing isn't a line item — it's the place their kids walk to, the teachers who know their names, and the community hub that holds a neighborhood together. Enrollment has dropped, but shuttering a school is a decision that reshapes a neighborhood for a generation, and families deserve a real say before it happens.

The board should slow down, release the full financial picture behind each option, and genuinely listen to the families and educators who will live with these closures. Sign the petition to demand transparency and community input before Minneapolis Public Schools closes a single neighborhood school.