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Parents, athletes press St. Paul school board over gymnastics co-op and Highland wrestling coach nonrenewal
Summary
Community members pressed the St. Paul Public Schools Board of Education on March 18 to pause or explain recent athletics decisions they said were made without adequate family input, including a Central-Highland gymnastics co-op and the nonrenewal of Highland Park's head wrestling coach.
Community members packed the Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education meeting on March 18 to protest recent athletics decisions they said were made without adequate notice or family input.
Speakers from both Central High School and Highland Park urged the board to pause a planned coop that would combine Central's gymnastics team with Highland Park's program and to restore or explain the nonrenewal of Highland Park's head wrestling coach.
Charlotte Dean, speaking on behalf of the "Central Gymnastics community," told the board the district moved to turn Central's gymnastics team into a coop with Highland Park "without input from athletes, parents, or [the] gymnastics community," and said the change undermines team identity and opportunities for student athletes. "This decision was made behind closed doors," Dean said. She asked the board to pause the decision so parents and athletes can discuss alternatives, including separate ranked teams practicing in the same facility.
Parent and former Central coach Alex Kutzow reiterated that Central has a multidecade tradition in gymnastics, a community-education pipeline and full varsity and JV squads. Kutzow said Central families were first informed by e-mail after the decision was already in effect and asked the board to help convene a meeting for problem-solving and alternative options.
A cluster of public comments from Highland Park families followed on the wrestling program. Student Isaac Roberts and booster-club leaders, including Heidi Goldman Gray, described the head coach's work building a competitive program since 2020 and said they had received little explanation for the coach's contract nonrenewal. Roberts described the coach's role in helping students secure college and military opportunities and said athletes were "frustrated" and uncertain.
Parent and booster-club members asked for transparency on the process that led to the nonrenewal and for the district to involve parents and volunteers in exploring alternatives if budgetary or staffing concerns drove the decision. Trista Martinson, representing Highland Park wrestlers, asked the district to confirm whether due process consistent with Minnesota statute (the speaker cited "2024 Minnesota statutes. 122 a 33 subdivision 3") was followed and requested clarity about whether budget decisions influenced the nonrenewal.
Booster-club member Barry Sager and other parents described the program's community culture and urged the district to disclose the rationale and consider reinstatement or a clear plan for transition.
Board members did not take immediate action on the athletics complaints during the March 18 meeting. The speakers requested direct communications from district and school administrators and asked that decisions affecting coaches and programs be shared with students, families and volunteers before being finalized.
Ending: Parents asked the board to help reopen communication channels and requested either a pause to the gymnastics coop decision or a clearer explanation and community meeting about the Highland Park wrestling coach nonrenewal. The board directed staff to follow standard processes for inquiries; speakers requested timely, specific follow-up from district administration.
