Adriana Cerrilo, Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education Director for District
4, has been absent for many months in succession without the issue being
address by this Board, for whom Collin Beachy serves as chair.
Cerrillo has continue to be paid since, unless an absent Board member resigns, the practice is for her or him to continue to receive monthly payments based on the $20,000 in annual salary paid to directors other than the Chair and Vice-Chair (who receive $22,000 annually). No attendance expectations for receiving payment were made when the Board established the salary figures given above.
The case of Cerrillo is unusual:
In 2011 MPS Board of Education member Lydia Lee resigned and a new member (long-time Director Kim Ellison) was appointed, as was true for the cases of Josh Pauly (resigned 2022) and Faheema Feerayarre (resigned 2024). Cerrillo has not resigned, leaving District 4 residents without representation for many months, including the entirety of calendric year 2026 thus far.
Matters related to resignation or declaring a vacancy from school boards are governed by Minnesota state law and by individual boards of education.
The MPS Board of Education has nothing in the board policy manual pertinent to the director absence issue. This seems strange, given that the Policy Committee frequently revises or authors policies on matters that would seem to have no more importance than the issue of reference, which involves representation for members of the public, especially when the absent director represents a particular district, such as District 4.
Long-term absence would best draw upon precedent, as memorably in the cases of Lee, Pauly, and Feerayarre. In the case of Adriana Cerrillo, discussions to secure her resignation must ensue, since she herself as acted irresponsibly in not resigning.
The
public deserves action on the matter of many months of absence on the part of
MPS District 4 Director Adriana Cerrillo.
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