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District reports staffing gains, iPad and phone rollouts, bus-tracking app and building openings ahead of new school year
Summary
Superintendent and department leads told the board the district has largely filled vacancies compared with last year, will deploy new iPads and Zoom phones, expand bus real-time tracking, and open several new or renovated schools, while some special-education and paraprofessional positions remain hard to fill.
Senior administrators updated the St. Paul Public Schools Board of Education on Aug. 19 about school readiness for the 2025–26 year, reporting progress in hiring, technology rollouts and facilities projects.
Human-resources staff said the district faced more vacancies this hiring season than last year because it was not in reduction mode, listing roughly 811 total school vacancies at one point in summer hiring, with 93 licensed positions remaining unfilled as of the presentation. Special education and DAPE (adaptive physical education) positions were noted as the most difficult to fill; HR said the district cut 47 paraprofessional employees over the summer because they did not meet the state’s “highly qualified” standard and that the district has prepared training and retesting pathways to reduce future turnover.
Administrators said the district had purchased new iPads for students and will distribute and configure devices for schools before classes begin. The board heard that every classroom will be equipped with new Zoom phones (replacing the prior phone system) and that families will have access to a districtwide real-time bus-tracking app to monitor bus locations.
Facilities staff reported multiple building projects completed over the summer, including the new Bruce Vento Elementary environmental magnet and work at Obama Montessori and Highland Park Complex; Hidden River’s opening was scheduled for January. Staff said about 92% of kindergarten seats were filled and the district was targeting an enrollment of approximately 32,609 students for the year.
Nutrition services said about half the student population is directly certified for free meals; the department will pilot ten new menu items and expand grill lines at secondary schools. The district also described community outreach events, ECFE enrollment growth and expanded early-childhood offerings.
Board members asked about emergency-operation planning, implementation of the district’s new cell-phone policy, and professional development for paraprofessionals and special-education teaching assistants (TAs). Administration said onboarding and a one-week training program for new special-education TAs is in place, READ Act training will be added, and HR will continue job fairs and targeted recruitment. In safety, the district reported SSL (school safety liaison) staffing is full and principals met their SSLs in a joint meeting ahead of the year.
No formal board action was taken in this informational presentation; administrators said they would return with additional follow-up where requested.
