Minnetonka schools task force identifies flexible spaces as top facility need
A 27-member community task force that spent nine months touring Minnetonka Public Schools buildings has identified small flexible spaces as the district's primary facility need, with recommendations coming to the school board in December.
The Facilities Study Task Force, composed of parents, business owners, city staff, architects, and other community members, conducted comprehensive assessments of all district buildings—from elementary schools through the high school—to determine what improvements would best serve current and future students.
The task force found that across all buildings, educators and students need small breakout spaces for group instruction and staff collaboration. Other common needs include better use of outdoor courtyards, improved traffic flow at student drop-off areas, and potentially acquiring additional real estate to expand capacity. Task force co-facilitator Carrie Lindberg noted that "the biggest one we found is the small flexible space both for students and staff."
The task force also highlighted how thoughtful design improvements can make a difference without major spending. One example: replacing brick walls with travertine tiles throughout the district improved the appearance of hallways, made spaces feel larger, and noticeably improved student behavior and building care. "Students started to take care of the buildings," task force member Jenny Frisella explained.
A key constraint emerged during the assessment: limited real estate around most buildings restricts expansion options. The task force discussed whether the district should invest in acquiring additional property or reorganize existing spaces more efficiently. Superintendent David Law expressed confidence in the task force's work, saying the diverse group of 30 community representatives gives him "confidence that we have something that our community should be proud of."
The task force prioritized needs over wants during its nine-month process, with input gathered through community surveys and staff feedback. All presentations from the finance director and building principals are available on the district website. The final report, including prioritized recommendations and conceptual plans, will be delivered to the school board in December, giving the board flexibility in deciding what improvements to pursue and when to implement them.
Our proprietary artificial intelligence agent analyzed publicly available documents including meeting agendas, minutes, and transcripts to write this story to help inform local residents. Feedback helps us improve, so please consider rating how we did with the thumbs up or down below.
Go deeper on this topic
Research related meeting documents and build a brief — without rewriting the story.
Full analysis
Votes (1)
Facilities Study Task Force Review and Recommendations
Dissent: No dissent recorded; task force operated on consensus-building model with voting on priorities rather than formal motions
The task force conducted nine months of comprehensive facility assessments across all district buildings. Key discussion points included: (1) the identification of flexible small spaces as the primary facility need across all buildings; (2) real estate constraints limiting expansion options; (3) the effectiveness of design improvements (travertine tiles) in improving student behavior and building pride; (4) the need to accommodate evolving classroom instructional methods; (5) outdoor courtyard utilization potential; (6) traffic flow and drop-off challenges; (7) the importance of hearing from specialized program areas including special education and safety; (8) the balance between needs, wants, and financial feasibility. The task force emphasized that principals have maximized existing space effectively and that future improvements may range from furniture changes and locker removal to significant real estate acquisition.
Notable Quotes (7)
I don't want to see those programs miss out because things are changing and we have to make adjustments around the district and so for me it was really important to see what we need to do to continue those and to keep adding things that will allow us to expand what the District offers.
One common theme among all of the principles was just the pride that they showed in their buildings and the way they've utilized the space that they have.
Paul told us about was the buildings used to just be brick walls and students would not care for the buildings as much and there was garbage on the floor and people drew on the walls and he came up with a program to put actual like travertine tiles on the walls and that has been done throughout the district and just that little thing seeing comparison pictures from what that was to what it did to change what the hallways look like they just it opened them up it made them look bigger and he said students started to take care of the buildings.
The biggest one we found is the small flexible space both for students and staff so areas that they're looking for either four breakout groups with the students or just small areas for staff to work together during their prep time.
One of the biggest constraints that we're dealing with in almost all of the buildings is real estate and so one of the big discussions we've had is moving forward looking at investing in either additional real estate or trying to find ways to change how things are laid out to give us a better organization of what exists.
I feel like we are thinking about the finances but really this group has been going in with an open mind trying to hear from the principals and from the staff about what is going to be the most important thing to maximize the space for our current students now and into the future so although finances plays a piece of it this really has been if money were No Object what would we what would we want.
My goal as a superintendent that is that you can't have a committee of 2,000 so 30 people who represent the breath of our Community really looking at what are the needs of our students and making recommendations back to us gives me confidence that we have something that our community should be proud of.
Ordinances & Resolutions (4)
Comprehensive presentations from Paul Brous (Finance Director) on building history and from each building principal on facility needs; publicly available on district website
Community survey conducted in summer to gather input on desired building additions and facility improvements
Survey of all teachers and staff across district buildings to identify facility needs and priorities
Prioritized recommendations and conceptual plans to be delivered to school board in December; includes needs versus wants categorization and implementation flexibility options
Source document
Was this story helpful?
Other Topics from This Document
Task Force Composition and Community Representation
Building Assessment Process and Findings
Identified Facility Needs and Themes
Community Input and Stakeholder Engagement
Prioritization Methodology and Next Steps
Want to know when new stories arrive?
Enter your email to receive updates.
We will not use your email for any other purpose. You can unsubscribe at any time.