Saint Paul Public Schools has shaved its projected budget gap for the 2026–27 school year down to about $14 million, but no one is exactly exhaling yet. Families and staff are bracing for potential cuts to arts, language programs, and student supports as the district heads into a key public budget meeting next Tuesday.
In a March budget update, the district said better-than-expected revenue projections cut a previously estimated $21 million shortfall to roughly $14.43 million, and an April update nudged that estimate to about $14.35 million. According to Saint Paul Public Schools, administrators are now finalizing the 2026–27 spending plan and will roll out more specifics at upcoming school board meetings.
The numbers may have improved on paper, but the mood in school communities is still tense. Recent local TV coverage captured that unease across St. Paul neighborhoods; as CBS Minnesota reported this week, community members say "programs are on the chopping block" while the district hunts for savings. Parents and staff told reporters they are worried about losing after-school activities and classroom supports that, in many cases, already run on shoestring budgets.
What Is at Stake
District leaders have warned that without new revenue, core offerings such as arts and music, language-and-culture programming, and after-school supports could be scaled back or cut outright. The Star Tribune reported last fall that the district asked voters to approve a $37.2 million operating levy to help preserve those programs and that officials had been tapping reserve funds to soften earlier deficits. As detailed by the Star Tribune, the levy was framed as a way to avoid roughly $37 million in cuts for 2026–27.
How the District Got Here
Saint Paul is wrestling with a multi-year squeeze that set in after federal COVID relief money ran out and state aid failed to keep pace with rising costs. The district approved a roughly $1 billion FY26 budget that came with a $51.1 million shortfall for this year, then covered most of that hole by drawing on reserves. Saint Paul Public Schools says it is trying to shield school-level resources as much as possible while it looks for longer-term revenue fixes.
What Comes Next
The district is inviting families and staff to a District Community Budget meeting next Tuesday, April 28, where administrators plan to walk through the latest figures and take public comment. SPPS expects to bring a proposed 2026–27 budget to the Board of Education in May, with a final vote scheduled before the June 30 deadline. In the meantime, officials say they will keep searching for smaller savings and revenue tweaks to close the remaining gap. The board timeline gives the public a short window to weigh in before any cuts are finalized.
Twin Cities Context
St. Paul is not alone in feeling the financial pinch. A survey by the Association of Metropolitan School Districts found member districts across the Twin Cities projecting hundreds of millions of dollars in combined shortfalls as state funding formulas and special-education reimbursements were adjusted. According to AMSD, the regional funding crunch has districts planning cuts even after lawmakers approved recent changes at the Capitol.
School leaders say the narrower gap gives them a little breathing room, but advocates argue that the current numbers still leave too much uncertainty, especially for students who depend on after-school supports. As local reporting has noted, many St. Paul families are gearing up to pack the budget meeting and press district officials and the board for clarity and alternatives before any programs are on the line.
