Updated: 09/29/2009 11:58 AM KSTP.com | Print |  Email
By: Becky Nahm

Anoka-Hennepin Closes 6 Schools

School closing information

Faced with declining enrollment and a budget deficit, the state's largest school district decided to close six schools and make a few other changes.

The Anoka-Hennepin School Board took a final vote on proposed school closures Monday night.

The vote followed months of meetings and task force recommendations that identified 17 schools that met criteria for possible closure.

In the end, the board decided to close Champlin Elementary School, Riverview Specialty School for Math and Enviromental Sciences, L.O. Jacob Elementary School, the Peter Enich Kindergarten Center, Sorteberg Elementary School and Sandburg Middle School.

Champlin and Riverview will close in June. Students from those schools will attend Park View Early Childhood Center which will expand and utilize space in Jackson Middle School.

Students from Sandburg will combine with students at the Fred Moore Middle School Center for the Arts and attend class at what is currently Washington Elementary School.

The district predicted its decision to close schools and combine others will save $3 million annually. The district is facing an $18 million projected deficit.

The district is also dealing with a drop in student population. Officials said a declining birth rate and an aging population caused enrollment to drop by nearly 2,000 students from its peak in 2004. The drop left the district with 18 percent more space than it needs.

According to the district, a state demographer predicted that the decline will continue for the next 20 to 30 years.

The Anoka-Hennepin School District's 2009-2010 enrollment is approximately 38,800 students.