Duluth School Board approves budget to address $4.2 million deficit

DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - The Duluth School Board unanimously approved the budget for the upcoming school year.

Facing a $4.2 million budget deficit, the board said it had to make difficult decisions to balance the budget including displacing up to 48 staff positions in the district.

Before the meeting Tuesday, Superintendent John Magas presented to board members on what those budget cuts would look like, including the budget for technology.

During public comments, parents addressed the board about the use of technology in classrooms. Some said they want to see classroom technology take a step back.

“As a researcher, a teacher and a father, all three perspectives have led me to the conclusion that our district needs a hard reset on our classroom screen tech policies,” one parent said.

The board said technology is one of the largest parts of their budget aside from insurance. They said purchasing digital subscriptions to books offered a more budget-friendly solution rather than buying books and needing to buy new updated versions.

The board then discussed the cuts necessary to balance a budget for the upcoming school year. Board member Kelly Eder said if the district does not get financial support further cuts will need to be made and they will impact students.

“We’ve done $12 million dollars worth of cuts in the last three years, so these cuts this year, they’re gonna affect kids. There’s no way around that,” Eder said.

Superintendent Magas said the district wants to hear the public’s opinion on a tax increase. Specifically he said they want to hear what is considered feasible and what would be unaffordable for tax payers.

The board said Duluth Public Schools will stand by the community’s decision no matter the outcome of the survey.

A survey for a tax increase will be sent out to Duluth homeowners and families in the coming days.

The board said without an approved referendum, another $14 million will have to be cut from the budget by the next 2027-2028 school year.

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