Minneapolis voters will elect at least three and as many as five new school board members as big decisions for the district loom.
On Oct. 13, Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams shelved her initial proposals to close up to 16 schools next year, citing community feedback that the timeline was too fast. But the challenges that prompted the school closure conversation remain: year after year of painful budget cuts; uneven opportunities across the district; declining enrollment; and a building portfolio designed for a much larger district.
Those decisions now will fall to the next school board. Voters will elect two at-large members, choosing among incumbent Collin Beachy and newcomers Michael Baskins, Christin Crabtree, and Stephanie Johnson. At-large board member Joyner Emerick is not running for reelection.
In District 1 — most of northeast and southeast Minneapolis — voters will choose whether to reelect incumbent board treasurer Abdul Abdi or elect business education teacher Ben Lattimore.
Author and Minneapolis College instructor Shannon Gibney is running unopposed to represent District 3, which includes south Minneapolis neighborhoods Powderhorn Park, Phillips and Seward. That seat is currently held by Lucie Skjefte, who was appointed to fill a temporary vacancy and is not running for election.
Molly Chase and Becca Dryden are vying to represent District 5, which includes the Longfellow, Lake Nokomis and Diamond Lake neighborhoods. Lori Norvell, the current District 5 representative, is not running for reelection.
Polling places close at 8 p.m. Election results will be updated approximately every 10 minutes throughout the evening.
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