Issues

It is well documented that the Hopkins School District is struggling. Once regarded as one of the top school districts in the state, Hopkins D270 has been in decline for over a decade. In 1988, Hopkins High School was named as the state's first and only "National School of Excellence" as bestowed by the U.S. Department of Education and the national magazine U.S. News & World Report.  For the 2022-23 school year, over 1,400 students from the Hopkins School District chose to open-enroll in neighboring public school districts.  The flight of students and the plight of the school district is related to several key issues:

Academic Proficiency

Once one of the most highly sought after school districts in the west metro, primarily for their reputation for excellence in academics, student academic proficiency is declining at an alarming rate. Student proficiency at grade level, as measured by the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) tests, pales in comparison to neighboring districts.  The Hopkins Schools Alliance is focused on working with the school board and administration to find real solutions to an issue they avoid. 

Fiscal Accountability

Education is the largest single area of spending in the state's annual budget with more than $12 billion in revenues pouring into the public school system in 2023. Since, 2003 the total amount of revenue provided to the Hopkins School District from both state aid and local levies has increased from $70.7 million to $119.9 million, despite a student population decreasing by nearly 15 percent. Over that same time period, per-pupil revenue went from $8,584 to $17,105, a 99% increase and amongst the highest in the state.  While some current school board members claim "school funding has not kept pace with inflation", Combined Revenue exceeded inflation by 23% from 2013 - 2023.  The Hopkins Schools Alliance is focused on analyzing how taxpayer dollars are deployed within the district and to determine how spending can be more student-focused, not spent on administrative bloat.(Download D270 Funding Analysis 10-15-2023)

There are more than 7,000 K-12 students and hundreds of teachers in the school district, the equivalent of a small city. In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in documented (and undocumented) incidents at our schools that threaten the safety of students and faculty.  The Hopkins School District was one of the first in the state to remove their School Resource Office (SRO), claiming that a significant number of their "scholars" were threatened by the presence of law enforcement.  An incumbent school board member running for re-election stated that "I was part of the process in 2020.  It was not a decision to remove the SROs from Hopkins.  It was a decision not to renew their contract".  The Hopkins Schools Alliance is focused on nurturing a strong working relationship between students and the police because law enforcement is a fact-of-life in society.

A Unified Student Body

More than ever before, young people today are influenced by social media, political ideology and other factors that have no place in schools. All have contributed to increases in mental health issues among adolescents and a divided student population. The Hopkins Schools Alliance is focused on fostering a unified student body, based on their shared status as Hopkins Royals.