First day of school brings many changes for Minnesota students
Lead Speaker Stu Cabe engages with new high school students, offering insights before the start of the academic year at Tartan High School on Tuesday in Oakdale, Minn.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News
It’s the first day of school for the majority of Minnesota’s K-12 students. Hundreds of thousands of kids are heading back to class in a school year that is bringing a lot of changes to public schools.
There is a lot to talk about with the new school year. MPR education reporter Elizabeth Shockman joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to break it all down. Shockman visited a high school in Oakdale, Minn., on Tuesday morning.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Audio transcript
[AUDIO LOGO] CATHY WURZER: It's the first day of school for the majority of Minnesota's K-12 students. Hundreds of thousands of kids are heading back to class in a school year that's bringing a lot of changes to public schools. For some districts, including Minneapolis and Saint Paul, today's hot weather means stuffy, uncomfortable classrooms for the older school buildings with no air conditioning.
Saint Paul superintendent, Joe Gothard, acknowledged the weather would be tough for the first day with highs forecast to reach the late-- excuse-- the lower 90s, but he said staff will work to keep kids comfortable.
JOE GOTHARD: As much as we can. 43% of our buildings have air conditioning. We have several mechanical options of trying to allow outside air in. The challenge is the outside air isn't any better than the inside air right now. So we know that today will be a challenge. We'll try to get our students out, shade, breeze, if they can to try to stay in parts of the building that are a little bit cooler.
CATHY WURZER: Things will cool down tomorrow. Gothard welcomed students to the first day at the East African Elementary Magnet School. It's new program kicking off today, which we'll hear more about at 12:30. In many schools, students will be returning with no school resource officer. Several departments have pulled their officers because of concerns over a new state law on the physical holds that police can use on students.
And finally, students no longer need to pack lunch. Lunch and breakfast are now free to everyone. There's a lot to talk about with this new school year. So to break it all down is MPR education reporter, Elizabeth Shockman, who visited a high school in Oakdale this morning. So Elizabeth, you were at Tartan High. Is that right?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: That's right. It was the first morning of school, of course, in Tartan High School in Oakdale. They welcomed all their 9th graders to the building this morning with a sort of pep rally. A bunch of a bunch of 12th-grade students signed up to be a part of something called Link Crew. It's a program designed to welcome new students and connect them to older students.
They got to school early and gathered in the gymnasium to create a sort of cheer hall to welcome incoming freshmen. They really gave those 9th graders quite the enthusiastic welcome, cheering, high fives, hugs, clapping. I spoke to Ellie Volkers, she's a senior at Tartan this year. Something to keep in mind, of course, is that the students who are in 12th-grade this year, they started high school during the pandemic. Many of them were partially or completely online. So they've been through a lot these last few years.
ELLIE VOLKERS: I just think it's cool because when we were 9th graders, we were doing this on Zoom. And now we're in our brand new gym that we have learned about for four years and we get to kind of connect with each other. And I'm just excited for senior year and hopefully having a normal senior year and making some memories.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: That's something I heard from all the students I spoke to this morning. A lot of excitement and gratitude to be doing, quote-unquote, "normal in-person activities." I think for many kids going to school is meaningful in a new way.
CATHY WURZER: I'm sure that's right, but we are seeing COVID-19 levels increasing in Minnesota. As a matter of fact, wastewater testing shows that the spread of COVID is backed up to where it was in may of this year. Is that affecting schools at all?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: I have seen those numbers. National Public Radio reported a handful of places that had brought back temporary mask mandates to deal with the rising cases like a college in Atlanta, Georgia, two floors of an office building in Hollywood, California, some hospital systems in New York State, but I haven't heard of this happening anywhere in Minnesota. At Tartan, the school principal and assistant superintendent told me their attendance numbers looked good today.
CATHY WURZER: You reported this summer on staffing shortages, something that is not new and it's something that schools are continuing to deal with, what's happening?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: So it is something that schools are continuing to deal with. Between 80% to 90% of districts said earlier this year that they were significantly impacted by teacher and substitute shortages. That was from a report by the Professional Educator Licensing and Licensing Standards Board. A more recent survey from the Minnesota School Boards Association found that a little less than a month ago, the number of teacher and paraprofessional vacancies districts were dealing with was in the thousands.
Recently, the Minneapolis Public School District announced new cash incentives to retain and hire teachers and support staff-- that's happening in Saint Paul as well. So there are places that are still struggling to hire. They're better than they were a month ago, but staffing is still a pretty widespread problem in Minnesota schools.
CATHY WURZER: So let's talk about a big story that we covered during the legislative session, and it's pretty noticeable I bet today. We're talking about free breakfast and free lunch.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: That's right. Right away today when kids break from classes to go to the cafeteria, breakfast and lunch provided by the school will be paid for. That's as you've said a result of the Universal School Meals bill that Governor Tim Walz signed into law in March. North Saint Paul assistant superintendent, Ty Thompson, told me those school lunches will make a big difference to students even today.
TY THOMPSON: So something that you might see in the past when it's the first day of school is kids might not be sure if they have any lunch money on their card. So even though we as a school would still give them lunch, if they're brand new, they might not feel comfortable and so they just won't go through the line and they'll just say, oh, I'm not hungry. And so we're really excited about the fact that that is not a factor at all.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: There are other changes that may or may not be noticeable today or later in the year. Schools are now required to be stocked with naloxone, an anti-overdose drug. And they're working on getting menstrual products in restrooms at no cost to students. So doing things like ordering supplies, getting dispensers installed in bathrooms.
CATHY WURZER: So will students notice any new classes or changes to the way that certain things are taught?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: The legislature did put out a lot of new requirements in this last session. For example, schools will be required to offer ethnic studies courses, but that requirement won't go into effect until the 2027/2028 school year. There are also some new personal finance and civics instruction requirements. That's something I'm hoping to do more reporting on in coming weeks to get a sense of how that's going to look in classrooms.
And then we have the READ Act, which is meant to change the way literacy and reading are taught in Minnesota classrooms throughout the state. Districts have been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work on this over the summer. Different things like training teachers, assessing the curriculum they have, learning about the new requirements, these are really big changes that will affect some schools and classrooms more than others, but I think it will take a while in many places to see that instruction change. We, of course, will be following these developments.
CATHY WURZER: So let's talk a little bit here, there's a lot to talk about-- just briefly on last year's test scores. Any sense of where students are as they return to classes here this fall?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: Of course, test scores are an imperfect metric, but they do provide some data. So the information we got from the state Education Department last month shows Minnesota continues to struggle with disparities in its education system and also with impacts from the pandemic. Student performance in math, reading, and science was basically flat compared to last year, which means scores remained about 10 percentage points lower than in 2019 before the pandemic disrupted learning.
A lot of districts, including the one I visited today, have noticed a strong correlation between students' attendance and engagement and how well those students do on tests. So some districts are focusing on things like extracurricular activities to help kids feel connected to school. I asked Ty Thompson about this.
TY THOMPSON: One thing that we found is that students that are engaged in a club, sport, or activity are much more likely to go to school because they're excited about that after-school kind of social aspect. And not to say that the academics isn't exciting, but for a 14, 15-year-old, really being able to expand a little bit their ability to interact and have fun is really important to them.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: So that's where things like today's pep rally, football games, activities, fairs, and other things that the North Saint Paul District is planning. Those are geared at getting students involved and helping them feel connected, which a lot of places are hoping will help with academic achievement as well.
CATHY WURZER: One of the stories that we are following here today, of course, as school starts are the absence in many districts of school resource officers. Some of the law enforcement agencies, as you know, have decided to pull the resource officers out of schools because of this new law that passed last session. The governor made some comment about this over the weekend. So just to refresh our memory here, what has made this bill so controversial?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: The controversial part of the law restricts officers from physically restraining students in ways that impact their ability to breathe or voice distress-- this includes holds that put students face down on the ground. Police groups say the law keeps School Resource Officers, or SROs, from intervening in cases where students destroy property or pose a physical threat. This is affecting many school districts and police departments around the state from St. Cloud and Moorhead to Ramsey and Hennepin counties.
As you noted this morning, Governor Tim Walz, he visited a school in Bloomington and reporters did ask him if he will call a special session to address those concerns. Here's what he had to say.
TIM WALZ: I think what we're trying to figure out is, is there a solution that works best to make sure that we have those trusted adults in the buildings where the districts want them to be, and that it satisfies everyone's need. I think at this point in time we don't know exactly what that's going to look like. I'm certainly open to anything that provides a solution to that.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: So Cathy, it doesn't sound like he's quite committed to calling a special session just yet.
CATHY WURZER: All right. We'll see what happens, Elizabeth. Thank you.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: Thanks for having me. Elizabeth Shockman is our education reporter.
Saint Paul superintendent, Joe Gothard, acknowledged the weather would be tough for the first day with highs forecast to reach the late-- excuse-- the lower 90s, but he said staff will work to keep kids comfortable.
JOE GOTHARD: As much as we can. 43% of our buildings have air conditioning. We have several mechanical options of trying to allow outside air in. The challenge is the outside air isn't any better than the inside air right now. So we know that today will be a challenge. We'll try to get our students out, shade, breeze, if they can to try to stay in parts of the building that are a little bit cooler.
CATHY WURZER: Things will cool down tomorrow. Gothard welcomed students to the first day at the East African Elementary Magnet School. It's new program kicking off today, which we'll hear more about at 12:30. In many schools, students will be returning with no school resource officer. Several departments have pulled their officers because of concerns over a new state law on the physical holds that police can use on students.
And finally, students no longer need to pack lunch. Lunch and breakfast are now free to everyone. There's a lot to talk about with this new school year. So to break it all down is MPR education reporter, Elizabeth Shockman, who visited a high school in Oakdale this morning. So Elizabeth, you were at Tartan High. Is that right?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: That's right. It was the first morning of school, of course, in Tartan High School in Oakdale. They welcomed all their 9th graders to the building this morning with a sort of pep rally. A bunch of a bunch of 12th-grade students signed up to be a part of something called Link Crew. It's a program designed to welcome new students and connect them to older students.
They got to school early and gathered in the gymnasium to create a sort of cheer hall to welcome incoming freshmen. They really gave those 9th graders quite the enthusiastic welcome, cheering, high fives, hugs, clapping. I spoke to Ellie Volkers, she's a senior at Tartan this year. Something to keep in mind, of course, is that the students who are in 12th-grade this year, they started high school during the pandemic. Many of them were partially or completely online. So they've been through a lot these last few years.
ELLIE VOLKERS: I just think it's cool because when we were 9th graders, we were doing this on Zoom. And now we're in our brand new gym that we have learned about for four years and we get to kind of connect with each other. And I'm just excited for senior year and hopefully having a normal senior year and making some memories.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: That's something I heard from all the students I spoke to this morning. A lot of excitement and gratitude to be doing, quote-unquote, "normal in-person activities." I think for many kids going to school is meaningful in a new way.
CATHY WURZER: I'm sure that's right, but we are seeing COVID-19 levels increasing in Minnesota. As a matter of fact, wastewater testing shows that the spread of COVID is backed up to where it was in may of this year. Is that affecting schools at all?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: I have seen those numbers. National Public Radio reported a handful of places that had brought back temporary mask mandates to deal with the rising cases like a college in Atlanta, Georgia, two floors of an office building in Hollywood, California, some hospital systems in New York State, but I haven't heard of this happening anywhere in Minnesota. At Tartan, the school principal and assistant superintendent told me their attendance numbers looked good today.
CATHY WURZER: You reported this summer on staffing shortages, something that is not new and it's something that schools are continuing to deal with, what's happening?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: So it is something that schools are continuing to deal with. Between 80% to 90% of districts said earlier this year that they were significantly impacted by teacher and substitute shortages. That was from a report by the Professional Educator Licensing and Licensing Standards Board. A more recent survey from the Minnesota School Boards Association found that a little less than a month ago, the number of teacher and paraprofessional vacancies districts were dealing with was in the thousands.
Recently, the Minneapolis Public School District announced new cash incentives to retain and hire teachers and support staff-- that's happening in Saint Paul as well. So there are places that are still struggling to hire. They're better than they were a month ago, but staffing is still a pretty widespread problem in Minnesota schools.
CATHY WURZER: So let's talk about a big story that we covered during the legislative session, and it's pretty noticeable I bet today. We're talking about free breakfast and free lunch.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: That's right. Right away today when kids break from classes to go to the cafeteria, breakfast and lunch provided by the school will be paid for. That's as you've said a result of the Universal School Meals bill that Governor Tim Walz signed into law in March. North Saint Paul assistant superintendent, Ty Thompson, told me those school lunches will make a big difference to students even today.
TY THOMPSON: So something that you might see in the past when it's the first day of school is kids might not be sure if they have any lunch money on their card. So even though we as a school would still give them lunch, if they're brand new, they might not feel comfortable and so they just won't go through the line and they'll just say, oh, I'm not hungry. And so we're really excited about the fact that that is not a factor at all.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: There are other changes that may or may not be noticeable today or later in the year. Schools are now required to be stocked with naloxone, an anti-overdose drug. And they're working on getting menstrual products in restrooms at no cost to students. So doing things like ordering supplies, getting dispensers installed in bathrooms.
CATHY WURZER: So will students notice any new classes or changes to the way that certain things are taught?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: The legislature did put out a lot of new requirements in this last session. For example, schools will be required to offer ethnic studies courses, but that requirement won't go into effect until the 2027/2028 school year. There are also some new personal finance and civics instruction requirements. That's something I'm hoping to do more reporting on in coming weeks to get a sense of how that's going to look in classrooms.
And then we have the READ Act, which is meant to change the way literacy and reading are taught in Minnesota classrooms throughout the state. Districts have been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work on this over the summer. Different things like training teachers, assessing the curriculum they have, learning about the new requirements, these are really big changes that will affect some schools and classrooms more than others, but I think it will take a while in many places to see that instruction change. We, of course, will be following these developments.
CATHY WURZER: So let's talk a little bit here, there's a lot to talk about-- just briefly on last year's test scores. Any sense of where students are as they return to classes here this fall?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: Of course, test scores are an imperfect metric, but they do provide some data. So the information we got from the state Education Department last month shows Minnesota continues to struggle with disparities in its education system and also with impacts from the pandemic. Student performance in math, reading, and science was basically flat compared to last year, which means scores remained about 10 percentage points lower than in 2019 before the pandemic disrupted learning.
A lot of districts, including the one I visited today, have noticed a strong correlation between students' attendance and engagement and how well those students do on tests. So some districts are focusing on things like extracurricular activities to help kids feel connected to school. I asked Ty Thompson about this.
TY THOMPSON: One thing that we found is that students that are engaged in a club, sport, or activity are much more likely to go to school because they're excited about that after-school kind of social aspect. And not to say that the academics isn't exciting, but for a 14, 15-year-old, really being able to expand a little bit their ability to interact and have fun is really important to them.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: So that's where things like today's pep rally, football games, activities, fairs, and other things that the North Saint Paul District is planning. Those are geared at getting students involved and helping them feel connected, which a lot of places are hoping will help with academic achievement as well.
CATHY WURZER: One of the stories that we are following here today, of course, as school starts are the absence in many districts of school resource officers. Some of the law enforcement agencies, as you know, have decided to pull the resource officers out of schools because of this new law that passed last session. The governor made some comment about this over the weekend. So just to refresh our memory here, what has made this bill so controversial?
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: The controversial part of the law restricts officers from physically restraining students in ways that impact their ability to breathe or voice distress-- this includes holds that put students face down on the ground. Police groups say the law keeps School Resource Officers, or SROs, from intervening in cases where students destroy property or pose a physical threat. This is affecting many school districts and police departments around the state from St. Cloud and Moorhead to Ramsey and Hennepin counties.
As you noted this morning, Governor Tim Walz, he visited a school in Bloomington and reporters did ask him if he will call a special session to address those concerns. Here's what he had to say.
TIM WALZ: I think what we're trying to figure out is, is there a solution that works best to make sure that we have those trusted adults in the buildings where the districts want them to be, and that it satisfies everyone's need. I think at this point in time we don't know exactly what that's going to look like. I'm certainly open to anything that provides a solution to that.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: So Cathy, it doesn't sound like he's quite committed to calling a special session just yet.
CATHY WURZER: All right. We'll see what happens, Elizabeth. Thank you.
ELIZABETH SHOCKMAN: Thanks for having me. Elizabeth Shockman is our education reporter.
Download transcript (PDF)
Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.