Community members gathered at the Apr. 21 school board meeting for open comment, with 140 people reportedly in attendance. They came to voice their disappointment in leadership, particularly surrounding the reductions in instructional time for music classes. Twenty-three students, parents and alumni each gave speeches to the school board, stressing the importance of the district’s music programs. However, the end of the meeting resulted with the school board acknowledging the feedback but refusing to make any changes to the controversial proposal.
Highview Middle School announced their plan through an email last February to switch their non-core class schedules to an every-other-day rotation to make way for daily advisory and flex time, starting next school year. Edgewood and Chippewa Middle Schools will follow in similar models by the 2027-28 school year. Advisory time will act as technology-free advisory and a form of homeroom for students, while flex time operates similarly to Mounds View’s ReFLECT where students can sign up for a teacher’s session. The plan also includes “club days” on Fridays where various clubs are offered.
However, this change has caused friction in the community over the reduction of non-core subject class time, particularly surrounding the district’s highly successful music programs. In an email from Oct. 17, 2024, superintendent Chris Lennox stated: “I will reiterate again, our district has had no conversations about any reductions to our music program nor are there any conversations about reductions in the future.”…