Louisa Glenetske Says Steady Enrollment Is What Protects Osakis's Small Classes

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Louisa Glenetske is the new superintendent of the school district she attended, in the town where her own children are now students.

"It is incredibly meaningful to be leading the district where I began my education experience," Glenetske wrote in response to questions from The MNEdTribune. "Even more meaningful is the opportunity to lead the district and be more deeply connected to the community where my children attend school and that they are growing up in."

Osakis Public School District^↗ enrolled 865 students in 2025-26. Twelve years earlier, in 2014-15, it enrolled 850. In between it has never gone lower than 816 or higher than 887, a band of 71 students.

That is close to flat, and it is also close to Minnesota. Statewide enrollment rose 1.9 percent across the same twelve years while Osakis rose 1.8 percent. The district did not outperform the state; it moved with it.

What steadiness buys, in Glenetske's account, is the thing small districts most often lose first.

"Enrollment is always a key factor in creating stability in programs, staffing, and student opportunities," she wrote. "I am grateful that Osakis has experienced stability in its enrollment, allowing us to continue offering small class sizes and a variety of opportunities while maintaining the small-town feel that makes Osakis Public School special."

She did not treat that as settled. In the same answer she named the pressure she expects next.

"At the same time we need to remain proactive in our planning to ensure we can continue to provide these opportunities despite legislative changes and the funding challenges that may come with them," she wrote.

The baseline she inherits

The steadiness has one recent interruption in the final published count before Glenetske began the job.

Osakis reached its twelve-year peak of 887 students in 2024-25. The 2025-26 count is 865, a drop of 22 students, or 2.5 percent. That is the second-largest single-year decline in the district's published record, behind a 26-student drop in 2020-21.

The count predates her first school year, so it belongs to the baseline she inherits rather than her record. One year is not a trend, and a district that has bounced inside a 71-student band for over a decade has absorbed moves like this before, repeatedly, in both directions. The next published count will be the first test of whether the stability she is describing is still holding.

The grades underneath point the other way. Osakis enrolled 72 kindergartners in 2025-26 and 53 seniors, meaning its entering class is about 36 percent larger than its exiting one. For a small rural district that ratio is a favorable one, though it reflects the classes as they stand today rather than forecasting what enrollment will do.

Glenetske came to the job from another district, and she framed the return as additive rather than corrective.

"I am extremely grateful for the relationships, experiences, and perspectives I have gained during my years in my previous district," she wrote. "One thing I have shared with staff many times is that the best professional development experiences we can gain are through collaboration, including learning from one another, sharing ideas, and seeing the different ways things can be done successfully."

"Right now, I feel like I have the best of both worlds," she wrote. "I have the opportunity to learn from and build upon the many great things already happening in Osakis, while also bringing new experiences, ideas, and perspectives that can help us continue to grow. My goal is not to change what makes Osakis special, but to build on those strengths while always looking for opportunities to make our district better for students, staff, and community."

Asked what she wants people to notice first, she described a posture rather than a program.

"I hope students, staff, and families will notice how I value listening, learning, and collaboration," she wrote. "I believe strong leadership begins with taking the time to understand different perspectives, asking questions, and learning from the people who know our students, school, and community best."

The district she is listening to is small enough to fit in two buildings, an elementary and a secondary school, and steady enough that its size has been roughly the same question for twelve years. Whether it stays that way is the first thing her tenure will answer.

Enrollment figures come from the Minnesota Department of Education public enrollment record, covering 2014-15 through 2025-26. Glenetske responded in writing; quotations are reproduced as she wrote them.

Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.

Osakis Public School District - EdTribune MN - Minnesota Education Data

Louisa Glenetske Says Steady Enrollment Is What Protects Osakis's Small Classes

The baseline she inherits