🤦‍♀️ MPS fumbled millions of dollars (again)

Minneapolis Public Schools Has Fumbled Millions of Dollars

New records obtained by the Minnesota Reformer detail a recent underreporting of special education expenditures that cost Minneapolis Public Schools $4.1 million in state and federal funding, an amount that could have paid the salaries of about 35 teachers. It's not the first time a blunder has cost MPS millions of dollars, and the financial blow comes as the district is facing shrinking enrollment, rising labor costs, and other funding challenges. [Minnesota Reformer]

• It was almost worse: The Minnesota Department of Education notified the district that it had underreported special education expenses by at least $25 million in November of last year. MPS missed a deadline to correct the errors, received an extension, and ended up underreporting expenses anyway. Emails between district employees indicated that the finance department staff simply did not know how to properly report special education expenses, and that the process is extra laborious because MPS's technology systems don't align with state reporting requirements. [Minnesota Reformer]
• A pattern of failures: District officials are aware of at least two other instances of similar missed funding, though they did not disclose how much. MPS has also lost $5.3 million in tax penalties after not properly filing federal tax forms, and the district recently had to turn to expensive financial consultants after coming under scrutiny for withholding millions from an employee healthcare trust account. [Minnesota Reformer]
• Silver lining: With the errors out in the open, the district might actually fix a thing or two in their finance department. The Minneapolis Federation of Educators said that they are "heartened to see much of this coming to light in recent months," and that they expect the district will continue to root out its financial problems. [Minnesota Reformer]

Still no trial: Christian Castro – the ICE agent accused of blindly firing his gun through the closed door of a North Minneapolis home and shooting a man in the leg, then lying to authorities about the incident – probably won't be returning to Minnesota anytime soon. He was arrested in Texas after Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty put out a nationwide warrant, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has taken an unusually long amount of time to sign the extradition paperwork to send him to Minnesota for trial. Castro is eligible for release from the Texas jail today. Yesterday, a federal judge in Texas ruled that Abbott has not acted inappropriately in waiting to approve the extradition request. [New York Times]

Thank you Dolly: Dolly Parton had a long, illustrious career before passing away on Tuesday, including four performances at the Minnesota State Fair over the years. As we get ready for opening day of the State Fair today, check out this clip of Dolly singing "Baby I'm Burnin'" at the fair in 1993. [WCCO]

Big bill for big tech: Meta agreed to pay Minnesota at least $214 million in a settlement of a 2023 lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of 44 state attorneys general. The lawsuit accused Meta of knowingly designing addictive features for young users. In addition to the payment, the settlement also requires Meta to make sweeping changes to Facebook and Instagram including daily usage time limits, night time blocks, and no push notifications during school hours for children. The usage limits for children will become stricter, and the financial settlement larger, if YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat agree to follow similar requirements. [FOX 9]

Anoka vs. Anoka: A district court judge ruled that the Minnesota Legislature improperly redirected more than $6 million of funding away from Anoka County to go toward the city of Anoka's expansive development of a whitewater recreation center. Court documents revealed text messages between House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson and Anoka Mayor Erik Skogquist where Stephenson said he considered the appropriation of funds "revenge for the jail fuckery," referring to a drawn out legal dispute between the county and the city where the county is suing to use eminent domain to close part of Anoka's downtown to build a larger jail. [Star Tribune]

Welcome, fish friends! One of my favorite things to see at the State Fair every year is the Department of Natural Resources' native fish pond. MPR News captured some great video of DNR employees releasing the fish into the pond this year, and fishery supervisor T.J. DeBates said some of the larger fish have been making the journey to and from the fair for decades. [MPR News]

New cafe in Midway: A new restaurant called the Bewick Cafe will be opening in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood in the space formerly occupied by Groundswell, which closed last year after a devastating fire. Bewick Cafe will serve breakfast and bakery items in the morning as well as espresso and craft cocktails when it opens in a few weeks, and Chef Nicole Pederson-Bates plans to eventually include dinner service. Chef Pederson-Bates, can you please also turn the old fire-damaged Central Ave. Momo Sushi location into something awesome? [Pioneer Press]

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