Who decides
Nine elected members of the Minneapolis Board of Education make the final call. The superintendent, Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams, develops the options. Every member can be contacted directly.
Five of nine board seats are on the Nov 3 ballot. Vote. New members are not seated until January 2027, and the vote on the transformation options is planned for Nov 10, so the current board would decide one week after the election. Until then, contact the members now in office. Find your district with the Board Member Finder.
The board
Backgrounds from MPS and public reporting. Records include only votes and on-the-record statements, now including the Sept 15, 2026 work session.
On the record: Sept 15, 2026 work session: asked seven questions, including whether the board can combine options (staff: yes), what success metrics are (no target or date given), and how much of the deficit the plan solves. Staff answered that closures are "not a huge cost savings." Thanked staff in closing. Oct 14, 2025: voted against defining the enrollment "sweet spot" as 70-89% capacity, and for Resolution 2025-0045.
On the record: Sept 15, 2026 work session: "You guys brought back exactly what we asked you to do... I think I have enough information." Asked no questions requiring answers. Suggested Afrocentric programming and raised the safety of adult Wellstone students at South. Oct 14, 2025: voted against the "sweet spot" definition and for Resolution 2025-0045.
On the record: Sept 15, 2026 work session (virtual): said staff "followed direction exquisitely" and called the plan "courageous." Asked nine questions on North Minneapolis equity, walk zones, dual language, inclusion, interventionists and libraries. Oct 14, 2025: proposed defining the "sweet spot" as 70-89% capacity (failed 2-6) and cast the only vote against Resolution 2025-0045.
On the record: Sept 15, 2026 work session: "Is one month really enough?" Asked why pre-K is not universal and whether Northeast can absorb Heritage Academy and Sullivan students. The Northeast capacity question was not answered. Oct 14, 2025: moved the Heritage Language Programs amendment (adopted 8-0); voted against the "sweet spot" definition and for Resolution 2025-0045.
On the record: Sept 15, 2026 work session: said the presentation delivered what the board asked for, but the timeline is "definitely too short" and "we do owe it to our families to give them more than two months." Said she was not expecting school names. Asked the superintendent to reconsider the timeline; no response was recorded. Oct 14, 2025: voted against the "sweet spot" definition and for Resolution 2025-0045.
On the record: Sept 15, 2026 work session (virtual): endorsed the request for per-school savings, saying "it's very important to see exactly how much exactly that we are saving," and asked for a clearer engagement plan for families and students. Oct 14, 2025: voted against the "sweet spot" definition and for Resolution 2025-0045.
On the record: Sept 15, 2026 work session: thanked staff, said the board has discussed this for three years and the process is not rushed. Asked for each school's enrollment against the "optimal size" number and how far each is from it; no one answered. Asked whether implementation would be phased; no answer. Oct 14, 2025: voted against the "sweet spot" definition and for Resolution 2025-0045.
On the record: Sept 15, 2026 work session: read the list of schools proposed to close and rejected all three options: "I find these options offensive... three options that close more than a dozen schools is not what we ask for." Asked for three answers by the Oct 13 business meeting: per-school savings, the share of displaced students expected to stay in MPS, and what each listed school needs to stay open. Oct 14, 2025: voted for defining the "sweet spot" as 70-89% capacity (failed 2-6) and for Resolution 2025-0045.
Hear her full commentsAdditional decision makers in the district
The nine elected board members above cast the final vote. These district staff, led by the superintendent, wrote the three options and answered the board's questions on Sept 15 — they don't vote, but they shape what the board is voting on.
The key vote so far: Oct 14, 2025
Resolution 2025-0045 asked the superintendent for information on closing, consolidating and repurposing schools. Before the final vote, Director Emerick moved to replace the undefined enrollment target "sweet spot" with "efficient at 70-89% capacity." It failed. [Official minutes]
A note on the record: the posted PDF of Resolution 2025-0045 doesn't include the "Heritage Language Programs" amendment the minutes say passed 8-0, and its vote table is blank. The minutes also contain clerical errors, including a motion line copied from the prior item.