St. Paul School Board Votes to Keep Hmong Language and Culture School at Current Campuses
A St. Paul public school focused on Hmong culture and language will remain at its current East Side campuses following a school board meeting that drew dozens of parents and students concerned about how best to deal with overcrowding at the school. The board’s 6-1 vote means Txuj Ci HMong lower campus will continue serving pre-K students while fifth- through eighth-graders will attend the upper campus for the 2026-27 school year.
School board members were expected to determine a “midterm plan” for the upper and lower campuses that could have moved students with its Hmong studies program to a temporary location in order to ease overcrowding. The move was supported by a district workgroup as part of long-term plans to eventually move all pre-K-8 students to one unified building. However, members of the school board cited concerns that the two temporary locations being considered brought their own downsides and costs for the district.
The Txuj Ci middle school in St. Paul on Thursday, Dec, 19, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Concerns and Frustrations
Parents supporting the temporary location weren’t pleased with decisions by district officials, who they say have delayed plans for the unified building. Superintendent Stacie Stanley, citing a projected drop in enrollment for the district in the future and costs associated with the temporary move, said at the time that she couldn’t recommend either option. The meeting, and the prospect of more delays, frustrated parents who organized a “Stay Home” demonstration earlier this week ahead of Thursday’s meeting and called for the district to vote for an interim location.
At the school’s upper and lower campuses, 59% of students were absent Monday, according to the district, 629 students in total. Districtwide, 1,416 students, or 33%, whose home language is Hmong were absent, which includes overlap with the student absences at Txuj Ci campuses. On average, 11% of students with Hmong as their home language are absent each day in the district. Shela Her, a parent of Txuj Ci students, said at the time of the October meeting that while parents are working with the district and being asked for proposals, the delays and a lack of transparent decision-making indicates the district is not collaborating.
Costs of Temporary Locations
A move to Prosperity would have meant reduced academic programming due to its size, with fewer specialists and course offerings. Hazel Park brought the possibility for more staffing, but also for disruptions for existing students. Costs to operate the Hmong studies program at the Prosperity location was estimated at $2.59 million. A move to Hazel Park was estimated at $1.72 million.
Board members and district officials in the time leading up to Thursday’s meeting visited the Txuj Ci campuses and Hazel Park to have conversations and hold listening sessions. One concern brought up by a Hazel Park parent during a public comment period — the impact on special education students. If Hmong studies moved to Hazel Park, two of the elementary special education classes would have needed to be relocated to make room for the two Hmong studies special education classes, according to district officials.
Future Plans
Instead, the board voted for a resolution to open a new pre-K-8 building no later than the 2032-2033 school year, add at least one specialist to support the fifth-graders at the school’s upper campus and identify ways to better utilize the school’s campus spaces, including its cafeteria, busing and community areas. Board members said they wanted to continue working with the Txuj Ci community and show a commitment to the plans for a unified building, but could not support the temporary locations.
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