St. Paul approves early retirement plan to avoid cutting 16 English-language teachers midyear

The St. Paul school board voted Friday, Oct. 30, to offer early retirement to English-language teachers, rather than terminate 16 teachers midyear. The move came after a raucous meeting earlier this month when teachers pushed back on a proposal for what they called “unprecedented” midyear cuts. The district had introduced the measure after a larger than expected decline in English language learner enrollment following Operation Metro Surge. St. Paul Public Schools has 542 fewer English learners than it projected in January — which corresponds to $4.9 million less in revenue. District officials had said the rare midyear cuts were necessary to avoid sinking below a key financial benchmark. The early retirement package represents a compromise reached with the St. Paul Federation of Educators. Superintendent Stacie Stanley said her team had put 45 hours into looking at additional options in a 10-day period, including many hours with the union. The plan is contingent on at leas