Anoka-Hennepin school board stalls again over ethnic studies in history curriculum

First, the Anoka-Hennepin school board deadlocked on the budget. Then, history and physics textbooks. Even a community survey proved contentious.

The ongoing partisan 3-3 split over issues such as diversity policies and district spending continues in the north suburban school district, which is the largest in Minnesota. While the board has had what members characterize as good-faith discussions through its summer work sessions, that doesn't mean they are reaching agreements.

It's a "transition period," said Jim Skelly, the district spokesman. "Their commitment was to have all voices at the table when decisions are made. And that might mean that there's differing views on how to go forward, and that's something new for staff in the school district."

On Monday, approval for new physics textbooks failed in a 3-3 vote, with board members that comprise a conservative bloc — Zach Arco, Matt Audette and Linda Hoekman — voting no. They questioned the $176,327 cost and whether the books, purchased two decades ago, actually needed an update.

"It seems like I'm missing something," said Arco, a mechanical engineer. He and Hoekman, a former physics teacher, both expressed concerns about implementation of the curriculum. "I don't really get what the difference between the old and the new curriculum is."

Nichole Rens, director of secondary curriculum and instruction, said: "I don't know how many districts have 20-year-old textbooks in their classrooms."

The board didn't vote on new 7th grade U.S. history materials, failing to even make a motion for approval amid conservative-bloc concerns over the inclusion of some ethnic studies, part of the state's new social studies standards.

"We have to develop a perspective on it," Audette said. "I don't think its right to say we just take everything exactly as it, because you can't possibly emphasize every one of those standards in the same way."

Board Member Jeff Simon encouraged his colleagues to trust the district staff. And Board Member Michelle Langenfeld expressed interest in further conversation, saying, "These are out-of-the box discussions that may get us in a really good place and I'm hopeful."

District Superintendent Cory McIntyre stressed that the purchases have to happen at some point: "I'm asking you for your continued back and forth so we can get to a solution, whether its physics or social studies."

'Future gridlock, future division'

The board's division began in January, when newly elected members took office and established the 3-3 split. The board was unable to elect a chair to lead the body — eventually resulting in a compromise of two co-chairs, Arco and Kacy Deschene. Then, the three conservative board members refused to support the district budget in April, expressing concerns over funding for diversity and equity programs.

On June 24, the school board voted 4-2 to approve the $743 million budget for 2024-25, with Arco flipping in support of it.

Arco said he shared the concerns raised by Audette and Hoekman in April, but differed "slightly" in that he thought it "appropriate to vote 'yes' on this budget," while honoring his pledge to decouple it from potential action on diversity and equity programs.

"I will use my position as a member of this board to hold the district accountable," he said in June. "This will lead to future gridlock, future division, things that nobody really wants to have happen."

On Monday, nearly a dozen people from the public attended the meeting, several of them whispering encouragement to the conservative members as they watched the discussion. When asked for their thoughts on the board, they declined to give their names.

Skelly said this week that the disagreement over text books was the first time in his nine years with the district that the board has failed to approve a curriculum recommendation, a multi-year, 41-step process that ends with a board vote.

"It's not a secret," said Skelly, that conservative members have said they want to slow the implementation of new materials that meet the state's new standards, with the idea that the November election could bring changes.

The district has plans to implement new curriculum for 11 social studies courses by the 2026-2027 school year. With the board's delay on 7th-grade U.S. history and 11th-grade world history, it will have to pay for eight new sets of materials for the 2025-2026 school year, rather than six — adding to the budget in a year where the district needs to cut $21 million from the budget.

Community survey stalls

In its work session, the board also initially put a stop to the annual community survey. The survey costs $20,000-35,000 to conduct, an expense already accounted for in this year's budget.

McIntyre brought the survey to the meeting in an effort, "to honor the process of bringing things forward" and to get input on the questions to ask, in light of the challenging times the district has faced in recent months.

But Audette said he doesn't find the survey results useful because board members are already receiving, "ton of feedback through multiple channels." Arco expressed concern over the cost, looking to "tighten the belt," ahead of next year's budget cuts.

Simon, Langenfeld and Deschene were all in strong support for the survey. Ahead of the looming district budget cuts, they say, direct feedback from the community would be essential.

"It's very disappointing," Deschene said of the discussion Monday that would end it. "We as a board are saying we don't want community feedback that's statistically valid. Our community matters, all of our taxpayers matter."

By Tuesday afternoon, however, the district said the community survey will be conducted as planned. Skelly said Arco contacted the superintendent and said he would support conducting it after all.