# Committee of the Whole Meeting November 12, 2026, Pt 2 of 2


**Body:** Duluth Public Schools
**Date:** November 11, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Education, Grants & Funding


The Duluth Public Schools Committee of the Whole met on November 12, 2026, to discuss state legislative priorities, early-childhood and achievement-integration programs, and the district’s post-referendum budget outlook. The proposed legislative platform focuses on increased general education funding and full funding for state mandates, protecting special education funding, and addressing transportation costs. Board members also discussed whether to add support for solar and electric-vehicle charging grants; no final decision or vote on the platform was recorded, with further consideration expected the following week. The discussion cited nearly $8.8 million in statewide solar-school awards and estimated $46 million in electricity savings over 20 years for participating schools. Head Start is operating under a one-year grant extension while the district prepares a new five-year grant plan; the meeting also reviewed achievement-and-integration results and strategies supported by that funding.

The district reported that passage of its referendum improved its budget outlook by about $11.7 million, but it still expects to reduce spending by approximately $5 million. Proposed site-level reductions were about $1.45 million at secondary schools, $1.46 million at elementary schools, and $2 million at the other site grouping identified in the presentation; the transcript is unclear on that grouping’s name. The district cited an estimated $600,000 increase in diesel-fuel costs and possible insurance increases exceeding 15%, and presented a draft guiding-change document for a board vote the following week. No contract awards, vendor selections, or purchasing approvals were identified.

**Source:** Duluth Public Schools