St. Paul proposes early retirements over cutting up to 18 English learner teachers

The St. Paul school district and the teachers' union are recommending early retirements and unfilled vacancies instead of cutting as many as 18 English learner teachers to close a budget shortfall.

The St. Paul school board is set to take up the revised proposal Friday. The meeting starts at 4 p.m.

The new plan was posted to the board's meeting agenda Tuesday. It would leave more than 10 vacant positions unfilled and offer early retirement to between seven and 12 English learner teachers. The district says that could save close to $2.3 million. With other budget adjustments, total savings could top $5.3 million, which would help offset lost funding.

The district says it is losing more than 500 English learner students this year, and says part of the decline is due to Operation Metro Surge, the federal immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities earlier this year. District officials said at an Oct. 20 school board meeting that English learner enrollment was 542 students lower than projected, a loss of nearly $5 million.

The first plan, which would have cut up to 18 English learner teachers and affected at least two dozen schools, drew backlash. The board unanimously postponed a vote on it after a meeting that lasted about five hours.

Teachers and parents have said cutting services could hurt students who are already struggling. Kristine Ranweiler, an English language teacher, said before the Oct. 20 meeting that when students don't get support, families leave for other districts and schools. "We love our students, and we want them to stay in St. Paul," she said.

The district faced a $51.5 million deficit when it approved its budget for the 2025-26 school year in June 2025.