Wayzata Public Schools — Transcript
Monday, November 3, 2025
Long-term Facilities Planning and Growth
Proposed Bond Referendum for Facilities Improvements
Safety and Security Upgrades
School Capacity and Expansion Solutions
Program and Experience Enhancements
Swimming Pool Facility
One High School Policy Rationale
Bond Referendum Timeline and Board Action
Votes (1)
Discussion and Recommendation for 2026 Facilities Bond Referendum
Dissent: Valentina [1:00:30] voiced concerns about the timeline being rushed and the perceived insufficient community feedback beyond the 18-member task force.
The core of the meeting was the presentation of the Community Task Force on Facilities' recommendations for a potential April 14, 2026 bond referendum. Key drivers include significant student enrollment growth, projecting over 14,000 students by 2027-28, which will exceed current building capacities across all grade levels. The task force proposed two bond questions: Question 1 ($465 million) for district-wide safety and security upgrades, new elementary school #10, new middle school #4, a high school addition for 900 students, expansion of the early learning school's second floor, and various program enhancements (kitchens/cafeterias, gymnasiums, special education, flexible learning spaces). Question 2 ($31 million) would be for a new 8-lane high school competition pool, contingent on Q1's passage. The estimated tax impact for an average $650,000 home would be $29/month for Q1 and an additional $4/month for Q2. The board was briefed on the urgent timeline, with authorization to submit review and comment materials to the Department of Education required by November 25th, leading to a proposed board vote on November 10th.
Notable Quotes (8)
this is the second of our two work sessions for work sessions for this afternoon or evening and we have one item on our agenda and that's the finance and operations report in which we'll get a facilities update
Um in the uh last 17 years we've built two elementary schools, a new early learning school, added on to our high school, and uh added a number of classrooms on to uh most if not all of our uh schools in one form or fashion. We've done a lot of long-term facilities maintenance. We've done uh a lot of just general upgrades and improvements uh throughout the district.
at the top there, you can see the facility steering committee as an ongoing activity. The community task force um engagement was September and October. I'm going to actually go through what they did at all four of their meetings this evening.
So the district's projected to exceed available building capacity at every grade level um by the 202728 school year
I think most would say that they could understand why that that would why that would be needed but it didn't um come it they wouldn't want it to come at the expense of your educational offerings right so there was a lot of discussion around should we include it in Q1 should we not include it in Q1 and there was many people who expressed great discomfort at kind of lumping it in with everything right so it was kind of a let the community make that decision kind of for themselves right because it seems like it could be a topic that would garner a lot of discussion
So, I would say it would be inadvisable to have more than a high school on that land,
I'm a little bit concerned that I feel rushed that we don't hear uh any feedback from the community. 18 people is not community and uh can can it be done such way that we give enough time and space for community to hear this presentation and maybe uh send uh they will be able to uh voice their if they I mean their concerns or if they their um pros or concerns that is a little bit troubling for me that I feel rushed to to be honest.
So, the best case scenario and actually maybe the recommended direction for us to go would be to have that authorization for the review and comment and the resolution with the accompanying ballot language for the board to take two separate action items at next week's meeting.
Ordinances & Resolutions (10)
The primary agenda item for the work session, including a facilities update.
A survey conducted in September by Peter Leatherman of Morris Leatherman Company, assessing community support and awareness of facilities needs and growth.
The outcome of the Community Task Force on Facilities meetings held in September and October, guiding the proposed bond referendum.
A detailed schedule outlining steps for an April 14, 2026, bond referendum, including submission deadlines and board actions.
A document to be submitted to the Department of Education no later than November 25, 2025, detailing proposed bond projects as a statutory requirement.
Questions to be certified no later than January for a potential April 2026 referendum, outlining the scope and cost of the bond projects.
A proposed legal document for the board to approve, authorizing the submission of the review and comment and potentially calling for the special election.
A program used by Krauss Anderson for estimating construction project costs based on various building types and site conditions.
A past bond referendum that included a task force recommendation to maintain a single high school model.
Proposed as 'Q1' on any ballot, this is a likely renewal of an existing tech levy, anticipated to have no additional tax impact.