ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s second-largest school district will soon have a new superintendent. 

Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is hosting the three finalists this week. 

Each day, a new candidate is visiting the district for a full day. On Monday, Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed took part in school visits, virtual sessions and a public interview. 

Mhiripiri-Reed has been the superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools since 2017, serving 6,900 students and more than 1,000 staff. She started her career as a teacher at SPPS. 

Dr. Brenda Cassellius also started her career as an SPPS teacher. Cassellius will be visiting the district on Tuesday. 

Cassellius previously served as superintendent of Boston Public Schools, serving 50,000 students and more than 10,000 staff. She also served eight years as the Minnesota State Commissioner of Education. Cassellius is currently the CEO of the nonprofit Fresh Energy. 

On Wednesday, the final candidate is Dr. Stacie Stanley. She’s currently the superintendent of Edina Public Schools, serving 8,600 students and more than 1,300 staff. Stanley previously served as an associate superintendent at Eden Prairie Schools.

You can read all three full bios, here. 

In the end of February, former SPPS Superintendent Dr. Joe Gothard was selected as the next leader of the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin. Dr. John Thein has been serving as interim superintendent during the search. 

The SPPS Board of Education did a round of community engagement where they received more than 3,000 responses from the community on what they’re looking for in the next superintendent. 

“It’s really not so much about what one individual board member is looking for. It’s going to be a really open and collaborative process by which all seven board members are trying to figure out how each of these candidates would approach trying to meet the concerns that were raised by the community whenever we did that engagement,” said Uriah Ward, school board vice chair. 

Each finalist’s schedule this week includes visiting schools, three virtual “Meet the Candidate” sessions with staff, parents and guardians, and community partners. The day ends with a public interview at the SPPS administration building (360 S. Colborne St.) from 6-7:30 p.m. 

All are welcome to attend or watch the livestream. 

“We want people to remain part of the process until the very end. So please, if you are watching the sessions, if you are reading the materials, please fill out an impression form. Because we are reading them and we do take that really seriously,” Ward said. 

This past summer, the school board approved more than $110 million in budget cuts for this school year. The cuts come after federal funds from the pandemic expired. While SPPS enrollment is slightly up this year, overall, in the past decade, it has shrunk. 

“Whoever’s coming in is coming into what I think is a really amazing school district where we have a lot of really exciting things to offer. But it’s also a really difficult environment where districts across the country are dealing with declining enrollment, where they’re having to face what seem like an endless stream of budget cuts,” Ward said. “We want to make sure that we’re bringing someone in who is going to be able to handle what can be a difficult situation but also work with us into moving us in a positive direction where we can… hopefully continue to grow our district.”

After the final interview on Wednesday, the board will deliberate in a public meeting. If they cannot decide that night, they will continue conversations at Thursday’s regular school board meeting and announce the preferred candidate then. 

The board will approve the new superintendent’s contract and start date in January. 

You can learn more about the search process, here. 

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Moorhead Police are asking for help locating an endangered teen who hasn’t been seen in 30 days.

Melissa Barrett, 17, was last seen in West Fargo, North Dakota in mid-November. Officials describe her as 5-foot-2, 100 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt and black pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Moorhead Police Department at (701)-451-7660.

*This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

MINNEAPOLIS — The ex-officer convicted of killing George Floyd in 2020 is challenging his federal conviction and is asking the court to let his defense team test a new theory about how Floyd could have died. 

Floyd, 46, died in May 2020 after ex-Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with a knee on Floyd’s neck as the Black man repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe. The killing, captured on bystander video, sparked protests in 2020 as part of a worldwide reckoning over racial injustice. 

Chauvin is making a longshot bid to overturn his federal guilty plea, claiming new evidence shows he didn’t cause Floyd’s death. According to a motion, Chauvin is arguing his attorney Eric Nelson gave ineffective counsel. 

According to the judge’s order, Nelson was reached out to by a doctor who said it was his opinion Floyd died “due to a catecholamine crisis.” Nelson did not consult with Chauvin on this issue and the opinion was not tested, the order says. 

Now, Chauvin is asking the court to have tests performed that could support the doctor’s opinion. The tests will require access to Floyd’s preserved heart tissue slides and photographs, along with other fluids. A judge has authorized these tests be done. 

If Chauvin is unsuccessful at overturning his federal conviction, he won’t be released until 2038.