STEP Academy, a St. Paul charter school, is at risk of closing [Video]

ST PAUL, Minn. — A St. Paul charter school is at risk of shutting down after they were overpaid for the number of students it serves.

STEP Academy serves a significant part of the Somali community in the Capitol City and works to reach students who are underserved by traditional schools and underrepresented in STEM fields.

The school currently has 783 students, which is 117 less than they planned for during the school year. According to documents from an Oct. 4 special board meeting, the enrollment gap has put STEP Academy over budget by $775,000. 

The school budget is $12.2 million this fall.

In a letter to the school board and administration, school authorizer Innovative Quality Schools (IQS) wrote that since the projected enrollment has not been actualized, the school was overpaid for quarter one of the 2025 fiscal year.

Charter Schools are public schools …