Parents, staff and Hmong community press Saint Paul school board on leadership, overcrowding and immigrant protections

A sustained series of public commenters at the Jan. 21 Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education meeting urged immediate action on school leadership and district support for Hmong and immigrant students.

Multiple parents and staff described a crisis at an "upper campus." ‘‘On December 18, 83% of the building staff at my son’s school made a difficult decision to sign a vote of no confidence in the leadership of that school,’’ Kate Christiansen, a parent and district employee, told the board. Several speakers said staff turnover has been severe; one commenter said "since 2019, over 100 staff members have left our upper campus" and warned that more staff and families will leave without leadership changes.

Speakers provided specific operational concerns. A parent said repeated errors in daily attendance reporting to the lunchroom left some students without meals and described a social worker who paid for student meals from personal funds. "One of them took her salary to pay for food for some of our children," the commenter said, using the episode to illustrate broader operational failures.

Hmong community leaders pressed the board for a clear facilities and funding commitment for the district’s Hmong language and culture program. Lai Shao Cha, identified as a clan representative and Hmong 18 Council co‑chair, told the board the Hmong program is attracting growing enrollment and said the district has not provided "ethical financial support resources for ongoing development of teaching materials, PD opportunities, learning experiences, and most importantly, facility planning for a large enough building to meet the growing enrollment demands of our community." The Hmong 18 Council asked the district to place a program update on the next board agenda and to create an immediate facilities plan.

Several speakers also urged the board to publicly reaffirm the district’s commitments to immigrant students and to work with SPFE (the educator union) on protections and plans should immigration enforcement actions arise. "Our immigrant students already face so many challenges," said Casey Ulrich, a teacher on special assignment working with immigrant learners. "We encourage the board to meet with our committee so that we can learn from one another and ensure the district develops a strong set of commitments aimed at protecting and honoring our immigrant community."

Board members did not take any personnel actions at the meeting; these remarks were delivered during the public comment period. Board members acknowledged the concerns and several directors asked staff to follow up. The public record at the meeting included the petition and the speakers’ written materials, which the board secretary said would be shared with members.

What the speakers asked for: new or replaced school leadership at the named upper campus, an investigation and corrective actions for the cited operational failures (including meal service errors), a district facilities plan and sustained budget commitment for Hmong language and culture program expansion, and an explicit district statement and policies to protect immigrant students and families from enforcement actions.

District officials and board members will receive the letters and follow up with the stakeholders; parents and staff said they will monitor whether district leaders take measurable steps to address staffing, building leadership and program funding.