Saint Paul Public Schools Packet Summary — 2026-08-18
Meeting: Regular
Scheduled time: 5:30 p.m.
Saint Paul Public Schools’ August 18 packet includes proposed adoption of the SPPS 2033 Strategic Plan, a wide-ranging school-readiness update ahead of the September 8 first day of school, transportation and technology contracts, a proposed teaching-assistant labor agreement, facilities spending, middle school athletics fees, and several policy revisions. The agenda separates items scheduled for board action from informational reports and policies moving through the district’s review process.
Key Items on the Agenda
SPPS 2033 Strategic Plan
The Board is scheduled to consider the SPPS 2033 Strategic Plan, a seven-year framework organized around three priority areas:
- Excellence in Instruction: achievement-gap reduction and academic acceleration, continuous improvement, and districtwide literacy consistency.
- Deliberate Inclusion: discipline and belonging, family communication and language access, special education programming, and staff recruitment and retention.
- Sustainable Infrastructure: marketing and enrollment recovery, facilities portfolio analysis, and review of current resource-allocation models.
The packet says 3,016 community members participated in the planning process through meetings, surveys and other engagement, with additional participation from 51 high school students. Nine strategy-formation teams involving 61 participants helped develop proposed strategies.
Implementation is proposed to begin after Board approval and would be staggered rather than launching every strategy at once. The plan calls for implementation, impact and outcome measures; internal and public-facing dashboards; and a monitoring committee. Initial work from August through the school year would include finalizing terminology and metrics, prioritizing strategies and benchmarks, developing implementation plans, identifying resources that could be repurposed, and connecting the work to the FY28 budget cycle.
Back-to-School Readiness
The 2026-27 School Readiness Report is an informational item covering preparations for the first day of school on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
Staffing
As of August 11, the packet reports:
- 111 licensed educator vacancies identified for 2026-27, with 83 filled and 28 remaining.
- 39 education-assistant vacancies, with 23 filled and 16 remaining.
- 126 teaching-assistant vacancies, with 92 filled and 34 remaining.
- Four open special-education teacher positions remained.
- Multilingual-learning staffing had one remaining ESL split position and one remaining Latino Consent Decree position.
New Educator Week is scheduled for August 24-27 for approximately 150 new educators. The district also plans professional development for education assistants and teaching assistants before school begins.
Technology and Student Devices
The district reports several changes intended to address screen time, cybersecurity and student access to artificial intelligence:
- YouTube is blocked on elementary student iPads at school, while teachers can still share approved videos.
- AI/Gemini is blocked for PreK-8 students.
- The district is working to block AI-generated results in Google Search.
- Popular AI websites have been blocked since the 2025-26 school year.
- Email is disabled for PreK-3 students and limited to 35 recipients for students in grades 4-12.
- Additional student-iPad security restrictions and digital-citizenship lessons are planned.
More than 4,000 staff members — about 95% of the targeted group — received MacBooks last spring, with remaining staff scheduled to receive devices this fall.
Enrollment, Transportation and Facilities
The packet reports that secondary sites are filling while families continue to enroll. Planned kindergarten capacity was 91% filled, PreK seats were 89% filled, Head Start partnership PreK seats were 65% filled, and Nature PreK seats were 58% filled.
Transportation planning currently includes 24,641 students riding to or from school at least one way. Bus information is scheduled to be emailed and mailed August 28, and the district plans to expand access to its live bus-tracking application.
Facilities staff report more than 50 summer projects at 33 sites, including remodeling, replacements, repairs and instructional audiovisual work. Interim plans are in place where construction will continue after August 31.
Major Financial and Contract Items
Student Transportation Contracts
The consent agenda includes a request to extend yellow-bus and Type III transportation contracts for one year. The packet identifies:
- $31.5 million combined for four yellow-bus contractors.
- $12.75 million combined for six Type III contractors.
The district describes this as the final extension year for Type III service and the first of two potential extension years for yellow-bus service.
Google Workspace Renewal
Staff recommend authorizing a three-year renewal of Google Workspace for Education Plus through CDW Government LLC for an amount not to exceed $700,000 for the 2026-27 through 2028-29 school years.
The listed services include Google Workspace licenses for students and staff, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gemini and NotebookLM. Funding would come from the Technology Services budget.
Temporary Nursing Support
The packet proposes a contract with Ro Health to provide temporary registered nurses and licensed practical nurses when district Health and Wellness staffing cannot cover shortages or leaves.
The proposed rates are $75 per hour for registered nurses and $65 per hour for licensed practical nurses, with total spending capped at $400,000 per school year. The agreement would run from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2028.
Junior Achievement North
Staff recommend renewing the district’s 2026-27 partnership with Junior Achievement North for programs including JA BizTown, JA Entrepreneurship Pathway, JA Job Shadow, JA Finance Park and other career-focused initiatives.
Fees would not exceed $67,000.
Labor Agreement for Teaching Assistants
The consent agenda includes a proposed two-year employment agreement with Minnesota Teamsters Public and Law Enforcement Employees Local No. 320 covering 821 teaching assistants from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028.
Among the proposed changes:
- TA 1 salary schedules would increase 3.5% effective June 27, 2026.
- TA 2 increases would range from 2% to 3.5%, depending on step.
- Salary schedules would increase another 2.5% effective June 26, 2027.
- District health-insurance contributions would increase in 2027 and again in 2028.
- Personal leave would increase from four to five days per school year.
- Employees could use up to three sick-leave days annually for religious observances.
The packet estimates additional package costs of $1,358,636 in 2026-27 and $1,319,985 in 2027-28.
Facilities and Capital Projects
Rondo Complex
Staff recommend awarding Miller Dunwiddie design and construction-administration services for the Rondo Complex Building Systems Replacement and Site Renewal, Project #3170-26-01, for a fee not to exceed $1,891,700.
The packet gives a rough-order-of-magnitude project estimate of $41.3 million to $45.7 million, with anticipated funding from capital bonds and Long-Term Facilities Maintenance funds. Current scheduling anticipates a project-budget gate in March 2027, a contract award in December 2027 and project closeout in August 2029.
Student Placement Center Boiler Replacement
Two related approvals are proposed for Project #4010-27-01:
- Set the final project budget at $748,000 and authorize proceeding through the project-budget gate.
- Award the construction contract to Thelen Heating & Roofing, Inc. for $569,900.
The packet anticipates project closeout in December 2026.
Roofing and Plumbing Change Orders
Staff also recommend:
- A $324,445 change order with Reiling Construction Company for the FY26 roofing program at Battle Creek and Wellstone elementary schools, adding the Wellstone Title 1 office roof to the project scope. The change would bring that construction contract to $3,956,521.
- A $269,359 change order with Uhl Company for the Hamline Elementary secure-entry, heating and plumbing project to replace water piping during Phase II because of high lead content. The change would bring that contract to $1,474,279.
Middle School Athletics Fees
The Board is scheduled to revisit a proposed increase in middle school athletics registration fees. The item had previously been tabled until the August 18 regular meeting.
Staff recommend increasing the participation fee from the current $5 for students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals and $10 for full-pay students to:
- $15 for students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals.
- $45 for other students.
The packet says the existing fees do not generate enough money for basic equipment and uniforms. Staff describe the proposal as having no fiscal impact on the district while generating additional program revenue.
Benjamin E. Mays Afrocentric Magnet is requesting approval for a tops-only uniform policy beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
The proposal would require polo tops in red, green, yellow or black while imposing no specific requirements for bottoms. The packet reports 303 yes votes and 51 no votes among 354 participating family responses.
Families needing financial assistance would receive uniform tops confidentially and free of charge. The proposal also states that uniform compliance would not be treated as a disciplinary matter; students arriving without an approved polo could receive a clean loaner for the day.
Policy and Governance Items
Parent/Guardian Conferences and School Communication — Policy 611.00
The consent agenda includes revisions to Policy 611.00 intended to formalize two-way family communication.
The proposed policy calls for fall and spring parent/guardian-teacher conferences, ongoing student-progress updates, school-family communications at least monthly, and use of interpreters and translated materials when needed. The packet says implementation would use existing communication, interpretation and staff resources without direct new financial costs.
Imprest Cash Accounts — Policy 702.02
Proposed revisions to Policy 702.02 would add a purpose statement and general policy language explaining controls for imprest, or petty-cash, accounts.
The packet says the existing requirements for Board authorization, administration under Financial Services procedures and annual audits would remain unchanged. Staff characterize the revisions as clarifications rather than substantive changes and recommend approval through the consent agenda.
Environmental Health and Safety — Policy 816.00
The consent agenda also includes a substantial reorganization of Policy 816.00, covering environmental health and safety.
The revised framework addresses physical, chemical, biological and environmental hazards; personal protective equipment; regulatory compliance; employee training; proactive inspections; funding; and employee and contractor responsibilities. Staff say the reorganization and added definitions do not alter the policy’s substantive scope.
Second Readings
Three policies are scheduled for second readings rather than final action through the consent agenda:
- Policy 518.00 — Do Not Resuscitate / Do Not Intubate: The proposed new policy says district staff would not accept or honor DNR/DNI orders or requests to withhold emergency care. Staff would provide reasonable emergency assistance, call 911 and notify parents or guardians, while individualized emergency care plans could continue through IEP and Section 504 processes.
- Policy 719.00 — Food Service: Proposed revisions emphasize equitable access to healthy and nutritious meals, student privacy and dignity, administration of nutrition programs, and updated legal references.
- Policy 802.02 — Petitions for Consent for Rezoning: Proposed revisions establish criteria for evaluating nearby land-use changes based on student safety, environmental health and operational impacts. The proposal also would expressly allow the district to provide testimony at City Council or Planning Commission hearings when land-use changes could affect the educational environment.
Graduation Rates
The Board Initiated Goals Governance report focuses on the district goal of increasing the four-year graduation rate from 68% in 2023 to 80% by 2029.
The packet reports that 78% of the Class of 2025 graduated within four years, two percentage points below the 2029 goal. Nearly all listed student groups improved from 2024, including a 14-percentage-point increase for American Indian students.
The district identifies grading practices, ninth-grade academic supports, daily advisory and expanded credit-recovery opportunities as factors intended to support continued improvement.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The largest districtwide decision is the proposed adoption of SPPS 2033, which would establish priorities for instruction, inclusion, enrollment, facilities and resource allocation through 2033. The packet makes clear that Board approval would begin a staggered implementation process, with detailed metrics, resource decisions and implementation plans still to be developed.
The school-readiness report also provides an important operational snapshot less than a month before students return, particularly around remaining staffing vacancies, multilingual-learning staffing, construction, transportation and new student-technology restrictions. Financially, the agenda combines significant recurring operating commitments — including transportation contracts and the teaching-assistant agreement — with several facilities projects and contract changes requiring Board authorization.
