Shall the school board of Independent School District No. 414 (Minneota Public Schools), Minnesota, be authorized to issue general obligation school building bonds in an amount not to exceed $13,100,000 to provide funds for the acquisition and betterment of school sites and facilities including, but not limited to, infrastructure improvements comprised of mechanical, electrical, exterior and interior deferred maintenance items, educational space renovations and improvements, and classroom and breakout learning space additions?

If School District Question 1 is approved, shall the school board of Independent School District No. 414 (Minneota Public Schools), Minnesota, be authorized to issue general obligation school building bonds in amount not to exceed $9,610,000 to provide funds for the acquisition and betterment of school sites and facilities including, but not limited to, converting the existing weight room into a choir room, converting the existing choir room into a fine arts space, converting the existing wrestling room into a weight room, construction of multipurpose room including storage, reconfigure existing kitchen, construction of new cafeteria/practice gym, restrooms and storage?

Our District has been actively engaged in facilities planning since Fall of 2025.  After the unsuccessful referendum in 2025, the Minneota Administration and School Board worked with a new K-12 facility planning consultant, Nexus Solutions, to help develop a fiscally responsible plan for addressing the infrastructure and educational needs in our District. Since September of 2025, the District has:

• Completed an independent assessment of our facilities 

• Surveyed staff on day-to-day facility challenges

• Sought feedback from our communities through a survey to determine what solutions would be supported 

• Conducted Administration and Board work sessions to develop a project that fit our community

• Decided, with unanimous School Board support, to seek voter approval for funding to address the priority needs in our facilities

This collaborative and transparent approach led to the prioritized plan voters will have the opportunity to finalize with their August 11, 2026 referendum vote.

For the deferred maintenance, the plan still includes some HVAC, and Electrical upgrades, but the scope has been refined and reduced:

• The boilers are in good shape and do not need to be replaced, but a small high efficiency boiler would be added to handle the load for spring, fall and summer bringing significant cost savings to the scope and operations.  

• Refurbishing the roof top units, rather than replacing them. 

• The electrical scope was refined as well bringing a cost savings. 

• The roofing scope was narrowed down to just the high priority areas, and a more cost effective rubber roof is being proposed.

For the learning spaces:

• There will be breakout spaces added to the high school and elementary areas for one on one learning.  This alleviates children sitting in the hallway to learn.

• A key renovation will be converting the choir room into theater/multipurpose space.  There will be a ramp onto the stage, as well as an ADA lift.  The stage will get a removable extension and there are numerous upgrades to the sound, lighting and acoustics.

• There will be a new life skills lab, where special education students can learn the basic life skills.

• The new cafeteria will also be an extra practice gym to alleviate late night practices and having PE and lunch at the same time.

• The multi-purpose room will have wrestling hoists to pull up the mats when not in use and there is also a coiling door opening to the new weight room.  This allows fitness activities to be happening at the same time as weights.

• The activities director’s office and speech pathology will be moved to more convenient locations, and these spaces will be made into an upgraded workroom and conference room.

• Development Adapted Physical Education (DAPE) space will be included in the Question One addition.

The facility condition assessment conducted by Nexus Solutions confirmed that some of our facilities have outdated systems for heating and cooling, electrical, and other critical infrastructure needs. Classroom instruction has also changed since our schools were built and areas of our facilities don’t meet today’s educational standards. While the District gets money every year for facility maintenance -- and will use this to minimize the referendum costs -- it is not enough to cover all the priority needs in our District.  

Additionally, Minnesota education funding does not provide enough funding for large capital renewal projects.  Unlike other public entities, school districts must seek approval from local taxpayers for large renovation, modernization or expansion projects.

Based on the Minnesota Department of Educations analysis of the school district’s required documentation and other pertinent information from sources of the Minnesota Department of Education, the Commissioner of Education provided Minneota Schools with a positive review and comment statement. 

The facility assessment included a comprehensive list of facility improvements needed to extend the life of our facilities. After working with the Administration and the School Board to refine plans and surveying staff and community on priorities, the proposed plan would address safety and security needs, renew existing infrastructure, and enhance academic spaces.

PRIORITIES INCLUDED IN THE PLAN

This investment in our schools is an investment in our community. Public education impacts everyone, whether or not they have children in school. It results in opportunities for better careers, higher incomes, and better property values. 

An approved referendum will help Minneota maintain its edge by extending the life of our school, while continuing to provide quality teaching and learning environments that attract and retain students, staff, and families.  

Minnesota’s School Building Bond Agricultural Credit (AG2School Credit) provides landowners tax relief on school bonds by providing a 70% reduction for their agricultural property. It was created to help reduce and equalize taxes for agricultural landowners in rural districts where, historically, it was difficult to pass bonds because of how agricultural landowners were taxed.  Since the bill was passed, rural districts have been able to pass bonds that improve the quality of Greater Minnesota Education.

Bob Indihar, Executive Director of the Minnesota Rural Education Association (MREA) noted that the Ag2School Credit was a major priority and significant win for MREA and its districts when it passed with bipartisan support in 2017. Since the reduction of this funding would require an act of the House and Senate along with the Governor's signature, MREA believes it is unlikely to go away.  The State is well-positioned financially to continue supporting this, and MREA believes that it is solid legislation with strong support from both parties.

Although we fix what we can through our operating budget, facility needs that remain unresolved don't go away. Due to inflation of material and labor costs, the solutions only become more expensive the longer they go unaddressed. If the referendum is not approved, our School Board will continue reviewing options to address the identified needs since they cannot be addressed within the operating budget.

Ultimately, the District will have to go out for a bond to get these needs addressed to protect our facilities in the future.  

The improvements are a significant and timely investment in our community’s facilities. Postponing the improvements will only cost more later.