Full-time equivalent

The St. Paul school board voted unanimously to postpone a decision on cutting roughly 18 full-time English as a second language teaching positions, following a five-hour meeting marked by union rallies and public comment that stretched past 10:30 p.m. The proposed cuts stem from a drop of 542 English learner students versus January projections, which officials tied to Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities. The shortfall threatens nearly $5 million in state per-pupil funding. Union leaders say the cuts would hit at least two dozen schools and call the plan rushed; Superintendent Stacie Stanley denies it was made in secret. The board delayed the vote until the week of October 26 to explore alternatives.