Minneapolis Public Schools Renames Patrick Henry High School

Patrick Henry High School

On Tuesday, school board members of Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) unanimously approved a resolution to rename Patrick Henry High School. The new name, Camden High School, will take effect on July 1, 2024.

Yusuf Abdullah, the associate superintendent of MPS, said students from Patrick Henry High School were the catalyst for the name change. According to Abdullah, students, citing Patrick Henry’s ownership of slaves, approached him with a desire to replace the name.

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Minneapolis Public Schools to Face ‘Impending Fiscal Crisis’ in Five Years

Minneapolis Public Schools is headed for an “impending fiscal crisis” within five years because of continued dropping enrollment, despite the federal government giving it $261 million in COVID relief.

Senior Financial Officer Ibrahima Diop said in a Nov. 29 memo to Interim Superintendent Rochelle Cox that the school “anticipates fully depleting the general fund balance during the 2024-25 school year, and quickly descending into statutory operating debt.”

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Teachers Union President Defends Minnesota School District That Will Lay Off White Teachers First

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten defended a contract between Minneapolis Public Schools and the union which will fire white teachers over minority teachers, according to a Monday tweet.

The March contract between Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) includes a deal that fires teachers who are not a part of underrepresented populations first, instead of basing termination on seniority. Weingarten tweeted an article by Associated Press with a quote from Greta Callahan, the president of the teachers chapter of Minneapolis Federation of Teachers.

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Before Minneapolis, Los Angeles Schools Tried Race-Based Policies

Following national coverage of the Minneapolis school district’s race-based employment policies, Liz Collin Reports hosted a retired Los Angeles teacher who saw the same thing happen in his district over 15 years ago.

Phil Pearson worked as a special-ed teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest district in California and second largest in the country, when a similar rule to move teachers based on race was put into place.

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Minneapolis Teachers Union Contract Calls for Layoffs of White Teachers First

A Minneapolis teachers union contract stipulates that white teachers will be laid off or reassigned before “educators of color” in the event Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) needs to reduce staff.

After the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) and MPS struck a deal on March 25 to end a 14-day teacher strike, the two sides drew up and ratified a new collective bargaining agreement complete with various proposals.

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Minneapolis Teachers Union President: ‘Our Fight Is Against Patriarchy, Capitalism’

Greta Callahan, president of the teachers’ chapter of the striking Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT), told members rallying at the state capitol Wednesday, “Our fight is against patriarchy, our fight is against capitalism, our fight is for the soul of our city.”

The teachers union and Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) remain at a stalemate on a new contract, Patch reported.

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Minneapolis Cites Critical Race Theory as a ‘Framework’ for New Ethnic Studies Requirement

Thomas Edison High School

Minneapolis Public Schools explicitly lists critical race theory as a “framework” for its new ethnic studies graduation requirement.

According to left-wing critics, critical race theory is strictly a legal theory developed 40 years ago and since it isn’t explicitly referenced in some K-12 course catalogs, it therefore isn’t taught in the classroom at all.

But “ethnic studies” courses seem to be a popular vehicle for delivering CRT-inspired ideas to young students.

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