We appreciate reader feedback and strive to publish the vast majority of what we receive. Here are the comments readers submitted over the past month

Park Board Releases Preferred Plan for Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles Redesign

I'm disappointed that this plan doesn't address the barriers of one-way trails in getting kids to activities in the parks. I shared an example of how this puts kids in danger, or takes them off of bikes in 2016. -Janne

Sadly, this seems like another example of wealthy neighborhoods overriding city planning in order to keep amenities out of parks. Lack of public restrooms and shelter is largely a function of not wanting people to spend time in these park spaces and punishes not only our unhoused citizens, but people with disabilities, pregnant people, etc. Whiter and wealthier areas of the city possess a disproportionately large amount of Minneapolis’s parklands, and all too often the people in those areas think of them as extensions of their own yards, rather than shared spaces. -Jason

One thing I'd like to see added to the plan: motorized air pumps. The market for inflatable kayaks, paddleboards, and other watercraft has skyrocketed in recent years. Those products allow more people to enjoy the lakes, rather than only those who are lucky enough to nab a canoe rack, or have a home or space to store traditional canoes or kayaks. Take a ride around the lakes on a busy summer weekend and you'll see people awkwardly inflating these products in the medians, front yards, or in the streets surrounding the lakes. Strategic placement of motorized air pumps, perhaps at South Cedar Beach, would get them on the water faster and expand access for floating, and dare I say chilling, on our great lakes. -Matt

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Declining enrollment driving budget gap in Minneapolis schools

I have been craving good reporting on the budget crisis in Minneapolis, and this is by far the best done article I have seen on the topic, thank you! I have a question around overall funding / per pupil funding - is Minneapolis higher or lower than the national average? Why does it seem St Paul is having to make these hard decisions? Where did the 500+ in incremental funding go from the state? Did overall funding go up even with the declining enrollment - and if so why is there such a huge deficit? -Shea

I am wondering what, if any analysis has been done regarding how the district assesses enrollment. My understanding is there is someone at the district who does this and there is little to no ability for individual schools to provide input based upon their understanding and knowledge of their community. I do not have any knowledge as to how this individual comes to his conclusions around enrollment. This can, and has resulted in overfilled classrooms in the fall, and hiring of teachers come October when the district actually reports its numbers to the state and gets its per pupil funding. -Willow