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Board approves $1M-plus in budget adjustments after contentious debate over para cuts
Summary
After extended debate about kindergarten paraprofessionals and other staffing, the Faribault school board approved fiscal-year budget adjustments that will reduce recurring personnel costs, a 3–2 vote. Directors warned of classroom impacts while administration cited recurring cost structure.
The Faribault Public School District board approved a package of budget adjustments on March 16 intended to close a projected shortfall, after a multi-hour discussion that centered on reductions to paraprofessional positions in elementary schools.
Administrators told the board that personnel make up roughly 80% of district recurring costs and that some positions added last summer in anticipation of an enrollment bump did not materialize. As a result, the district recommended a mix of recurring reductions, including roughly $270,000 cited in discussion tied to paraprofessionals (paras) and other staffing adjustments.
Director Moore and Director Budro strongly objected to cuts affecting early-grade support. Moore said eliminating paras from some kindergarten sections would force teachers to forego small-group, hands-on instruction and would leave classrooms without immediate help for toileting, transitions and recess supervision. “Eliminating these positions would force teachers to eliminate small-group work, resorting to simply teaching using worksheets,” Moore said.
Administration described the proposed kindergarten staffing ratio as moving to approximately one paraprofessional for every two kindergarten classrooms next year. Officials said schedules would be adjusted at the building level and that special-education paras tied to individual students’ IEPs would not be part of the general-education reductions.
Several board members urged more time to evaluate alternatives, proposed tighter review of grant-funded coordinator roles that later become general-fund positions, and suggested increasing volunteer engagement to offset some duties. Administrators said the adjustments follow a review of projected class sizes and an effort to prioritize recurring savings to avoid compounding future deficits.
After the discussion, the board approved the budget adjustments by a 3–2 roll-call vote. The meeting record shows two members voted against the package; the chair confirmed the motion passed 3 to 2.
The board then considered personnel resolutions tied to the budget process. Resolution 26-21, listing probationary teachers to be non-renewed for the 2026–27 school year, was approved unanimously; administration said many non-renewals were due to license/endorsement issues and that some positions may be reposted. Resolution 26-22, proposing to place a non-probationary administrator on ULA (unassigned leave awaiting assignment) status for 2026–27, was also approved unanimously.
Board members said they will continue to press administration for implementation details about scheduling and classroom coverage and asked for more granular data tying position reductions to anticipated class-size targets. Administration said it would provide follow-up information to the board and noted the district had previously added positions anticipating higher enrollment that did not materialize.
Next steps: the approved budget adjustments will be implemented for the coming fiscal year, and affected staff will be notified in accordance with district and statutory procedures. Board members noted the human impact of reductions and the need to monitor student learning consequences closely.
