State audit exposes 20 compliance issues at Duluth Area Learning Center

Parents who trusted Duluth Area Learning Center to track attendance and deliver alternative instruction now face a school that must change how it operates after an eight-month Minnesota Department of Education review found 20 compliance problems.

The audit began with concerns raised in August 2025 about student attendance, then widened into a deeper look at how the Duluth Public School District ran the ALC. Investigators found students were taking attendance on their own through a Google form, a practice that raised immediate questions about oversight. The review also found the school was operating a four-day work week without the paperwork required for district approval, and that some classes were being taught by staff whose licenses had not been renewed when required.

Superintendent John Magas said the district had permission for the four-day schedule, but had not completed the paperwork needed every six years. He also acknowledged that some staff members were teaching subjects without current licensing. WDIO reported that the audit identified 20 compliance issues in all.

The Minnesota Department of Education’s monitoring letter, dated April 20, says the review was initiated by the agency’s Career and College Success Division and later expanded in January after an initial desk review. The department first notified the district in an August 25, 2025 letter, then asked for independent-study enrollment lists, teacher schedules, licenses and file-folder numbers for fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The state also requested continual learning plans for students in independent study by Dec. 5, 2025, and records show the district submitted some documents on Sept. 11, 2025.

The stakes now reach beyond administrative compliance. Duluth Area Learning Center will lose its ALC status and become an area learning program, or ALP, with independent-study approval ending July 1. That shift changes who can attend and what the program can offer. Students from Denfeld and East High School will still be able to attend the new ALP in the fall, but not at full capacity. Students from partner districts including Proctor, Hermantown and Lake Superior will not be able to attend.

Magas also said the change will affect targeted-services revenue, which could reduce the district’s ability to operate summer school. For families across Duluth and surrounding districts, the audit means fewer options for students who are behind on credits, struggling with attendance or trying to recover from discipline problems. The state action plan is due within 30 days of the April 20 notice, putting the district on a short clock to regain approval under Minnesota’s rules for alternative programs, graduation incentives and learning-year programs.