The time is now to support Minneapolis Public Schools

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As a community foundation that has served this region for more than a century, the Minneapolis Foundation has a long history of investing in Minneapolis Public Schools and other metro-area districts, schools and nonprofits that support students and families.

This year, we knew we needed to do more. The election of a president who has promised to dismantle the Department of Education only further presses the point.

Across the country, schools face critical challenges to reverse learning loss and close education-opportunity gaps that widened during the pandemic. A nationwide literacy crisis is rightly prompting leaders to focus on how children learn to read, spurring an important but costly recentering of phonics and classroom lessons based on the science of reading. This is happening as federal COVID-19 funding is expiring, putting more pressure on school districts.

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) in particular face historic challenges following the pandemic. That is why we are partnering with our donors to provide more than $1.3 million to MPS for 2024-25 to support literacy and talent development. We are calling on others in philanthropy and the private sector to step into this community’s legacy of generosity and support MPS as the district addresses its financial challenges, strives for excellence and innovates to better meet the needs of students, teachers and our community.

MPS remains one of Minnesota’s largest school districts and has continued to innovate for its students, even amidst budget challenges. For example, MPS worked with the state’s Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board to become the first school district in Minnesota to gain the ability to recommend teacher candidates for special education licensure as part of its Grow Your Own programs, which address teacher diversity and shortages.

Our investment for the current school year includes just over $1 million for MPS to hire literacy specialists, who will be on-site at 16 elementary schools, and $244,500 for the district’s Grow Your Own programs. These two investments are examples of the good work that can happen when a community comes together and asks, “How can I help?”

From the foundation’s perspective, the most important thing about this funding is that it centers needs identified by the district. We believe deeply that those who are closest to issues have the solutions. MPS leadership is focused on implementing proven strategies to drive student achievement and support educators.

We believe this partnership is a good example of how philanthropy can effectively support students and schools. The generosity of individuals and businesses plays a key role in supplementing the public funding that will always be essential to our schools. It can help teachers and principals make the most of existing resources, innovate and provide short-term funding so they can lean in at important moments of change and opportunity.

Our investment in MPS’ literacy efforts reflects our commitment to ensuring all children can access an excellent education that prepares them to reach their full potential. It also reflects the reality that strong public schools benefit everyone in our community.

The people of Minneapolis know our businesses and neighborhoods thrive when our public schools are successful. That’s why they overwhelmingly approved last month’s referendum supporting the district. In Washington, the future is doubtful, at best, for advocacy to provide much-needed resources for our schools and students. In Minneapolis, voters stepped up. Now more than ever, philanthropy and the private sector must stand with them.

Our city’s school district does not exist on an island. Its fate and the fate of our city are intertwined. We all have a role to play to strengthen our public schools. If we want the children of Minneapolis to succeed and our business community to continue to grow and prosper, it is time to double down on our support for MPS.

Patrice Relerford is vice president of collective giving and impact at the Minneapolis Foundation. R.T. Rybak is president and CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation and served as mayor of Minneapolis from 2002 to 2014.