First, the Anoka-Hennepin School Board was deadlocked over the budget, then over history and physics textbooks, and even a community study turned out to be contentious.
Minnesota’s largest north suburban school district remains mired in a 3-3 partisan split over issues including diversity policy and district spending. The board has been holding what members described as good-faith discussions throughout summer work sessions, but that doesn’t mean they’ve reached an agreement.
This is a “period of transition,” said district spokesman Jim Skelly. “The promise was to have everyone’s voice at the table when decisions are made. That means there may be disagreements about how to proceed. This is something new for district officials.”
On Monday, approval of the new physics textbook was defeated in a 3-3 vote, with conservative board members Zach Alco, Matt Audette and Linda Hookman voting against it. They questioned the $176,327 cost and whether textbooks purchased 20 years ago really needed to be updated.
“I feel like I’m missing something,” said Alco, a mechanical engineer. Both Alco and Hawkman, a former physics teacher, expressed concerns about the implementation of the curriculum. “I don’t really understand the difference between the old curriculum and the new curriculum.”
“I can’t tell you how many school districts have 20-year-old textbooks in their classrooms,” said Nicole Rence, director of secondary curriculum and instruction.
The committee did not even table a motion to approve and did not vote on new U.S. history materials for seventh-graders because of conservative concerns about the inclusion of an ethnic studies section that is part of the state’s new social studies standards.
“We have to evolve our perspective on that,” Audette said. “I don’t think it’s right to just accept everything as it is, because you can’t give equal weight to all the criteria.”
Board member Jeff Simon urged his colleagues to trust district officials, and board member Michelle Langenfeld expressed interest in further discussions, saying, “This is an unconventional discussion that could go in a really good direction. I’m hopeful.”
District Superintendent Corey McIntyre stressed that the purchases must happen at some point, and said, “We ask for your continued discussion so we can find a solution, whether it’s physics or social studies.”
“Future impasse, future division.”
The board’s divisions began in January, when newly elected members were sworn in and a 3-3 split was established. The board was unable to select a chair to lead the organization, ultimately resulting in a compromise between the two co-chairs, Aluko and Casey Deschênes. The three conservative board members then expressed concerns about funding for diversity and equity programs and refused to support the district’s budget in April.
On June 24, the school board voted 4-2 to approve the $743 million budget for the 2024-25 school year, with Aluko voting in favor.
Aluko said he shares the concerns raised by Audette and Hookman in April but “slightly” disagrees in that he believes it is “appropriate to vote in favor of this budget” while keeping with his pledge to separate the budget from potential action on diversity and equity programs.
“I intend to use my position as a member of this committee to hold the district accountable,” he said in June. “This will lead to gridlock and division in the future, which is something that nobody really wants to see happen.”
About a dozen members of the public attended the meeting Monday, several of whom watched the discussion and whispered words of encouragement to conservative members. Asked for their thoughts on the committee, they declined to give their names.
Skelly said this week that the disagreement over textbooks marked the first time in his nine years with the district that the board has failed to approve curriculum recommendations, a multi-year, 41-step process that ends with a board vote.
“This is no secret,” Skelly said. Conservative lawmakers have said they want to delay the rollout of new materials to meet the state’s new standards, citing concerns that they could make a difference in the November elections.
The district plans to implement a new curriculum for 11 social studies subjects by the 2026-2027 school year. The board’s decision to postpone seventh-grade U.S. history and 11th-grade world history classes means the district will have to buy eight sets of new materials instead of six in 2025-2026, adding to its budget in a year when the district must make $21 million in budget cuts.
Community research stalls
During the working session, the committee also canceled its initial annual community surveys, which would have cost between $20,000 and $35,000 and whose costs have already been budgeted for this year.
McIntyre brought the survey to the meeting to “respect the process of moving things forward” and to gather input on questions that should be asked, given the difficult circumstances the district has faced in recent months.
But Audette said she didn’t think the survey results would be helpful because officials had already received “a great deal of feedback through multiple channels.”Alco expressed concern about the costs, saying he was looking at “cost savings” ahead of budget cuts next year.
Simon, Langenfeld and Deschênes all strongly supported the survey, saying direct feedback from community members is essential given looming cuts to the district’s budget.
“It’s very disappointing,” Deschênes said as he ended the discussion during Monday’s debate. “We as a board are saying we don’t need statistically valid community feedback. Our community matters, and all taxpayers matter.”
But by Tuesday afternoon, the district announced the community investigation would proceed as scheduled. Skelly said Alko had contacted the superintendent and said he supported conducting an investigation after all.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct Matt Audette’s name.
