Anoka-Hennepin school board approves history textbooks after dispute with teachers union

Anoka-Hennepin schools will have new social studies textbooks this fall, with some caveats, including delaying the implementation of new state standards that mandate ethnic studies.

The action by the school board Monday night — approving the purchases for U.S. history, world history and AP psychology without further discussion — came after the district’s teachers union had accused the elected officials of micromanaging what and how to teach.

But the hours-long meeting did not settle all the curriculum questions before the politically divided six-member board, which has at times deadlocked over how to proceed with regular school district business related to diversity and fiscal issues. On Monday, the divided board delayed a decision on whether to rewrite existing lessons on social and emotional learning, another topic that has become a flashpoint.

“I ask you to stop the dysfunction this board is getting known for,” said Valerie Holthus, president of the Anoka-Hennepin teachers union, after encouraging board members to focus on their role of governing rather than partisan politics.

Several teachers made public comments urging the board to respect district staff recommendations and to understand the lengthy, detailed curriculum development process. On Monday night, dozens of teachers rallied before the meeting to protest.

“I do trust the teachers,” board co-chair Zach Arco said on Monday, explaining that he doesn’t understand curriculum recommendations that include more direct instruction for literacy lessons but less lecture time in other subjects. “The question is ‘Which teachers should I trust?’ Because the reality is there‘s not a broad consensus on a lot of things we discussed.”

The board did not have a detailed discussion about the history textbooks on Monday. But for several hours during an April work session, they discussed the books and curriculum development across several subjects.

During the Anoka-Hennepin school board’s April work session, Arco questioned how the state measures or enforces standards, wondering if the system has ever been “stress-tested,” and suggested that curriculum plans should include more direct instruction, including lecturing.

In previous meetings, Superintendent Cory McIntyre urged the board to move forward with a textbook purchase so that staff could start developing curriculum the board could sign off on before fall.

For the U.S. history course, board members on Monday supported a National Geographic textbook. But they directed staff to revise the curriculum for next school year to align with 2011 state standards.

The new state standards, which require the teaching of ethnic studies, must be implemented by the 2026-2027 school year.

Board members directed staff to develop a pilot U.S. history curriculum for that year with “minimum compliance/balance” to the new standards. World history and AP Psychology curriculum are to come before the board before the fall.

The board opted to table a vote on whether to keep, amend or scrap the district’s current social and emotional learning curriculum in favor of writing one in-house to align with district priorities.

“We waste so much time on this program, it blows my mind,” Board Member Matt Audette said of current social and emotional learning programming, saying he considers it “poison for our kids.”

Other board members pushed back, saying the lessons are valued by parents and school administrators. District staff also expressed concern about the district’s capacity to deliver a new plan.

McIntyre said it will be difficult to find enough staff willing to create curriculum over the summer, especially this late in the spring.

Board Member Kacy Deschene said the board is putting “a lot of stress on the system.”

After more than an hour of discussion, McIntyre urged the board to vote on the options in front of them.

“We need a decision because we don’t know what we’re doing next year and we have a month of school left,” McIntyre said.