Amid ongoing questions about transparency, St. Paul’s school board on Tuesday night approved a $1 billion budget for the upcoming school year that will make around $114.6 million in cuts and relies on $37 million in deficit spending.

The cuts come as significant federal pandemic aid from the American Rescue Plan is set to expire, meaning reductions in many programs and positions including arts and music, special-education interpreters and after-school programs.

Last year’s budget had about $128 million in ARP funding that won’t be there in the 2024-25 school year.

“It’s not lost on me that for a brief moment in time, we saw what was possible if there was a greater investment in public education,” said school board chair Halla Henderson. “Now we are here having to say we can no longer provide that same level of support.”

St. Paul Public Schools leadership had known since last year that big cuts were likely for the upcoming school year. And district budget chief Tom Sager noted more cuts are likely down the road unless SPPS gets additional revenue, such as increased state funding.

The end of pandemic aid is just one part of the district’s financial difficulties. Declining enrollment has meant less per-pupil funding from the state. SPPS is the state’s second-largest school district, with 33,000 students, but it’s down about 4,000 students from about a decade ago. Declining enrollment stabilized this year, but it’s still left a hole for the district. Inflation has also raised costs.

Transparency concerns

Members approved the budget in a 6-1 vote, with first-term member Carlo Franco opposed due to his concerns with transparency in the budget creation process. Franco said he appreciated district administrators’ efforts to explain the process and how they shaped overall priorities but noted their proposal to the board didn’t fully explain program cuts.

“The biggest concern that I still have, that we haven’t really talked about, was the impact to our students,” he said ahead of the vote. “Due to the outstanding questions and lack of clarity on how our adopted FY 25 budget will actually impact our scholars’ learning experience and growth in the next school year, I’ll be voting no.”

Board member Uriah Ward, who opposed last year’s budget on similar transparency grounds, said district efforts to meet with the school board throughout the process were an improvement over past years. He said he understood parent and community complaints about transparency and cuts, but said the “pain” of reductions was spread around equally.

“As far as I can tell, we are doing about as good as we can with a really bad situation,” he said, later adding: “Our board is working in really specific concrete ways to change the way that we involve the community and decision-making processes.”

The district has given overviews of how cuts would affect schools, though specifics on many program impacts are yet to be seen. The most recent explanations on cuts come from April and include:

Reductions for school lunch that will result in menu changes, and potential school bus route cancellations.
Loss of additional custodial staff supported by federal aid.
Credit-recovery programs for students at the four high schools with the lowest graduation rates will now only be available after school or in the summer.

Amid cuts, the district also plans to increase spending on early education like pre-K and early-childhood family education with the goal of preparing students for elementary school so they can meet third-grade literacy standards.

Members first saw the 2024-25 budget proposal at their meeting last Tuesday. While district administrators had kept the board updated on the budget process since earlier this year, this was the first time the school board saw what they approved this week.

An original projected deficit of more than $150 million shrank to around $108 million this year, but the district still had to make cuts to balance the budget.

The budget still tops a billion, despite cuts, because of what Sager described as “favorable bond sales,” which grew spending on previously approved construction and renovation projects by close to $90 million. So even with more than $100 million in cuts, the budget is still in the 10-figure range like last year’s.

The 2024-25 budget also marks another year where the district is tapping into its reserve funds to help reduce program cuts. To avoid further reductions, the district is spending $37 million from its reserves, leaving behind $36.4 million — which is slightly above the 5% reserve threshold set by the school board.

Major cuts have been on the horizon at St. Paul Public Schools and many other districts for a while. About 70% of metro-area school districts faced shortfalls this year, according to the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, and St. Paul had one of the largest.

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Willie Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, has died. He was 93.

Mays’ family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday night he had died earlier in the afternoon.

“My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones,” son Michael Mays said in a statement released by the club. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life’s blood.”

The center fielder, who began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in 1948 — and played briefly with Minneapolis Millers in the Spring of 1951 — was baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer. His signature basket catch and dashes around the bases with his cap flying off personified the joy of the game. His over-the shoulder catch of a long drive in the 1954 World Series is baseball’s most celebrated defensive feat.

Mays died two days before a game between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals to honor the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala.

“All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career and a legacy like no other began,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise.

“Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our National Pastime. … We will never forget this true Giant on and off the field.”

Few were so blessed with each of the five essential qualities for a superstar: the ability to hit for average and power, speed, fielding and throwing. Fewer so joyously exerted those qualities, whether launching home runs, dashing around the bases, loose-fitting cap flying off his head, or chasing down fly balls in center field and finishing the job with his trademark basket catch.

“When I played ball, I tried to make sure everybody enjoyed what I was doing,” Mays told NPR in 2010. “I made the clubhouse guy fit me a cap that when I ran, the wind gets up in the bottom and it flies right off. People love that kind of stuff.”

Over 23 major league seasons, virtually all with the New York/San Francisco Giants but also including one in the Negro Leagues, Mays batted .301, hit 660 home runs, totaled 3,293 hits, scored more than 2,000 runs and won 12 Gold Glove. He was Rookie of the Year in 1951, twice was named the Most Valuable Player and finished in the top 10 for the MVP 10 other times.

He was voted into the Hall in 1979, his first year of eligibility, and in 1999 followed only Babe Ruth on The Sporting News’ list of the game’s top stars. (Statistician Bill James ranked him third, behind Ruth and Honus Wagner). The Giants retired his No. 24 and set their AT&T Park in San Francisco on Willie Mays Plaza.

For millions in the 1950s and ’60s and after, the smiling ball player with the friendly, high-pitched voice was a signature athlete and showman during an era when baseball was still America’s signature pastime. Awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015, Mays left his fans with countless memories. But a single feat served to capture his magic — one so untoppable it was simply called “The Catch.”

In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, the then-New York Giants hosted the Cleveland Indians, who had won 111 games in the regular season and were strong favorites in the postseason. The score was 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning. Cleveland’s Vic Wertz faced reliever Don Liddle with none out, Larry Doby on second and Al Rosen on first.

With the count 1-2, Wertz smashed a fastball to deep center field. In an average park, with an average center fielder, Wertz would have homered, or at least had an easy triple. But the center field wall in the eccentrically shaped Polo Grounds was more than 450 feet away. And there was nothing close to average about the skills of Willie Mays.

Decades of taped replays have not diminished the astonishment of watching Mays race toward the wall, his back to home plate; reach out his glove and haul in the drive. What followed was also extraordinary: Mays managed to turn around while still moving forward, heave the ball to the infield and prevent Doby from scoring even as Mays spun to the ground. Mays himself would proudly point out that “the throw” was as important as “the catch.”

“Soon as it got hit, I knew I’d catch the ball,” Mays told biographer James S. Hirsch, whose book came out in 2010.

“All the time I’m running back, I’m thinking, ‘Willie, you’ve got to get this ball back to the infield.’ ”

The Giants went on to sweep the Indians, with many citing Mays’ play as the turning point. The impact was so powerful that 63 years later, in 2017, baseball named the World Series Most Valuable Player after Mays even though it was his only moment of postseason greatness. He appeared in three other World Series, in 1951 and 1962 for the Giants and 1973 for the Mets, batting just .239 with no home runs in the four series. His one postseason homer was in the 1971 National League playoffs, when the Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But “The Catch” and his achievements during the regular season were greatness enough. Yankees and Dodgers fans may have fiercely challenged Mays’ eminence, but Mantle and Snider did not. At a 1995 baseball writers dinner in Manhattan, with all three at the dais, Mantle raised the eternal question: Which of the three was better?

“We don’t mean being second, do we, Duke?” he added.

Between 1954 and 1966, Mays drove in 100 or more runs 10 times, scored 100 or more 12 times, hit 40 or more homers six times, more than 50 homers twice and led the league in stolen bases four times.

His numbers might have been bigger. He missed most of 1952 and all of 1953 because of military service, quite possibly costing him the chance to overtake Ruth’s career home run record of 714, an honor that first went to Henry Aaron — then Mays’ godson, Barry Bonds. He likely would have won more Gold Gloves if the award had been established before 1956. He insisted he would have led the league in steals more often had he tried.

Mays was fortunate in escaping serious injury and avoiding major scandal but he endured personal and professional troubles. His first marriage, to Marghuerite Wendell, ended in divorce. He was often short of money in the pre-free agent era, and he received less for endorsements than did Mantle and other white athletes. He was subject to racist insults, and his insistence that he was an entertainer, not a spokesman, led to his being chastised by Jackie Robinson and others for not contributing more to the civil rights movement. He didn’t care for some of his managers and didn’t always appreciate a fellow idol, notably Aaron, his greatest contemporary.

Admirers of Aaron, who died in 2021, would contend that only his quiet demeanor and geographical distance from major media centers — Aaron played in Atlanta and Milwaukee — kept him from being ranked the same as, or even better than Mays.

But much of the baseball world placed Mays above all. He was the game’s highest-paid player for 11 seasons (according to the Society for American Baseball Research) and often batted first in All-Star games, because he was Willie Mays.

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Tony Kemp would like to think his Saints days are numbered.

The 32-year-old utility man has appeared in only 39 games for the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, but the plan was never to stick around. With 739 major-league games to his credit, Kemp joined the Saints with one goal in mind — getting back to the big leagues as quickly as possible.

He has done his part. After going 0 for 3 Tuesday night at CHS Field in a game delayed by rain in the sixth inning with the Saints leading 5-4, Kemp is batting .275, with five home runs and 20 runs batted in. Now it’s up to the Twins — or another major-league team — to see things his way.

Kemp began the season with the Baltimore Orioles but was designated for assignment after appearing in only five games. He elected to become a free agent rather than join Baltimore’s Triple-A team.

“I had three or four offers,” Kemp said of his decision to sign with the Twins organization. “There were a couple injuries here, and a couple guys probably weren’t doing as well as they wanted to. I just wanted to provide an experienced, utility guy who has been around the league.”

Kemp did his homework on the Twins before deciding to make the commitment.

“They definitely like their utility guys,” he said. “And I think I fit into their hitting schemes pretty well — a guy who gets on base, doesn’t strike out too much, plays good defense, runs the bases well.”

Kemp can opt out of his contact on July 1, a decision that will be dictated in part by whether he thinks he will get a chance to join the Twins before season’s end. In the meantime, his days usually end with taking a peek at the comings and goings of the other 29 major-league teams.

“You’re following (teams) online,” Kemp said, “but that’s what your agent’s for. You don’t want to get too clouded with it, because you still have to take care of your everyday goals.”

Kemp is happy with his production, especially of late, and feels he can be an asset to any team in major-league baseball.

“If it’s not with this team, you’re always playing in front of other teams,” he said. “So just go out there and treat every game like it’s your last. The best part about it is you know you are going to get your at-bats.”

Kemp spent the past four seasons with the Oakland Athletics and hadn’t played in Triple-A since 2018. While he feels he has a lot of baseball left in him, he’s realistic enough to know that there are things regarding his future he can’t control.

“At the end of the day you see how the industry is treating guys,” Kemp said. “When I was a rookie you saw that veterans stuck around and were on benches to provide a good clubhouse presence and leadership.

“They’re not really paying guys for that anymore. They’re just wanting to see younger guys now. That’s OK, I understand it’s the business side of it. If you give a guy $3 million you want to see a return on your investment as soon as possible if he’s ready.”

To that end, Kemp believes the possibility of one day playing in Japan is emerging as a clearer possibility.

“My wife always (who is half Chinese) says she would go over there and take the kids,” Kemp said. “If it was an opportunity to continue my career, then why not?

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An 18-year-old Rosemount man was sentenced Tuesday to a juvenile correctional facility for punching a Vietnam veteran in the face at Harriet Island Regional Park in an assault that led to the victim’s death weeks later.

Wyatt Daniel Doerfler admitted in Ramsey County District Court this month that he punched Thomas Dunne after confronting the 76-year-old in a parking lot on Jan. 28. At Regions Hospital, Dunne had several fractures to both his eye socket and nose. He died Feb. 23 while hospitalized.

Thomas Dunne, 76, of St. Paul, died Feb. 23, 2024, at Regions Hospital (Courtesy of Helen Broderick)

The defense and prosecution agreed to have the case designated as extended juvenile jurisdiction in exchange for Doerfler’s guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter while committing fifth-degree assault.

Also part of the June 5 plea, Doerfler, who turned 18 two months after the attack, was given a stayed adult sentence of eight years in prison, which means he could serve that time in an adult prison if he violates the terms of his probation. Extended juvenile jurisdiction offenders are under the juvenile court’s supervision until they are 21.

The plea deal also moved the case to Dakota County, where Doerfler lives. At Tuesday’s disposition hearing, Dakota County District Judge Jamie Cork heard arguments from both sides and victim impact statements from Dunne’s family, including his widow, Helen Broderick, before sentencing Doerfler to a long-term treatment program at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Red Wing.

Doerfler will be required to complete aggression replacement training during the one-year program. He will have in-court reviews every 90 days.

“They’re going to teach you how to deal with that anger, or that impulsivity that you have,” Cork told Doerfler. “They’re going to teach you about loss of life … and the pain that you’ve caused everybody, so you don’t do that again. Consequences for your actions.”

Doerfler originally was charged with first-degree assault causing great bodily harm. Charges were upgraded to manslaughter on April 24 after a final autopsy report found Dunne, of St. Paul, died of “probable complications of assault,” according to the amended juvenile petition.

Dunne fought two tours in Vietnam as a Marine and went on to serve in the Minnesota National Guard and the Army Reserve in Wisconsin, retiring as command sergeant major. He was a hero, his widow told the Pioneer Press four days after his death.

She said in court Tuesday they had just finished a walk at the riverfront park — and that he had a cookie in one hand and his phone in the other when he was attacked.

“Tom played by the rules, served his country and his community, and lived a life of giving back and enriching those around him,” she said. “An attack on him was an attack on the very fiber that upholds our society.”

‘Yeah, that was me’

Officers were called to the 100 block of Water Street after Broderick reported her husband had been punched in the face. Officers found Dunne standing next to his car with blood streaming from his right eye socket. St. Paul fire medics were called to the scene.

Dunne told officers he saw a male urinating and took out his phone to take a picture, when two other males got out of a blue Ford Fusion. They approached him and tried to take his phone, and one of them punched him in the face.

A witness told police she saw a male urinating in the park. She said three males then confronted Dunne and one of them slapped the phone out of his hand and punched him in the face. She said she yelled at them before they walked away, headed east.

Officers saw three males walking east along the river and asked if they were involved in a fight. Doerfler spoke up and said, “Yeah, that was me,” the petition says. He declined to give a formal statement.

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One teen told police they confronted Dunne because they believed he was recording them and that he should have “minded his business.”

The third teen said he couldn’t find a public bathroom and began urinating. Doerfler and the other teen walked over and Doerfler “indicated that (Dunne) was recording or taking a picture of him,” the petition says. Doerfler then approached Dunne, punching him twice.

“There were absolutely no photos of Wyatt and his friend on Tom’s phone,” Broderick said Tuesday.

She said her husband lost sight in his right eye despite three hours of surgery.

Dunne was discharged from Regions on Jan. 29 with instructions to receive follow-up care. Five days later, he was readmitted to Regions due to complications stemming from the injuries, the petition says.

“The experience felt like a nightmare that had no beginning and no end,” Broderick said.

Medical records indicate Dunne had contracted an infection that continued to progress and ultimately led to him being placed on a ventilator on Feb. 13. He died 10 days later.

Dunne was buried at Fort Snelling on March 5 with full military honors, “which he so richly deserved,” Broderick said. “He did not deserve to be struck down in the middle of a life he was actively living and loved.”

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