Seven Hills Preparatory Academy is staring down a tight financial deadline, with its authorizer flagging serious money troubles and teachers at the Twin Cities K-8 charter suddenly seeing smaller paychecks. Staff at the Richfield and Burnsville campuses say surprise salary cuts were pinned on an accounting mistake that school leaders say opened up an unexpected budget hole.
Authorizer Issues Warning And Starts The Clock
A Notice of Concern posted by Friends of Education lays out what the authorizer calls “significant concerns” about Seven Hills’ finances and orders immediate corrective steps. Dated Feb. 20, 2026, the notice directs the school to file a written response by March 13, 2026, and cautions that contract termination proceedings could follow if the problems are not fixed.
Teachers Say Pay Cuts Came Out Of Nowhere
KSTP reported that staff on both campuses were told their pay would drop immediately, roughly 5% for instructional and support staff and up to 10% for administrative employees. Several staff members reacted emotionally when the news landed. One teacher told the station, “Never mentioned anything about financial issues during this training,” while Executive Director Ed Fellows said the discrepancy that led to the cuts was first spotted last July, according to KSTP.
School Tries To Steady Nerves
School leaders say the reductions are a short term budget move designed to avoid layoffs and keep personnel in place while they sort through the books. Fellows told KSTP that the authorizer’s notice “is being taken seriously” and said the adjustment “is not intended to be permanent.” The school’s website lists its Richfield and Burnsville campuses along with contact information for families and staff, which is available on Seven Hills Preparatory Academy.
Legal Stakes And Oversight Power
Under Minnesota law, an authorizer may terminate a charter contract if a school fails to meet “generally accepted standards of fiscal management,” and the statute outlines notice, hearing and closure procedures as well as tools such as aid withholding and orderly dissolution. The charter law also spells out audit and financial reporting steps that can trigger additional oversight, as detailed in Minnesota Statutes. Friends of Education’s notice cites those oversight powers while giving Seven Hills a narrow window to show it can correct course…