Rochester Public Schools — Transcript
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
District-wide Facilities and Enrollment Strategy
Consolidation of Churchill and Hoover Elementary Schools
Relocation of Middle School ALC and RAIL Programs
Decentralization of Career and Technical Education (CEK)
Renovation and Relocation of Phoenix Academy
Funding and Taxpayer Impact of Facilities Plan
Community Engagement Concerns Regarding Facility Changes
Votes (8)
Comprehensive Facilities Plan for Rochester Public Schools
Dissent: N/A
Moved by N/A · Seconded by N/A
The Superintendent introduced a multi-faceted proposal designed to address declining enrollment, improve facility utilization, and enhance educational programming. Key drivers include significant projected enrollment decline, unsuitable programmatic spaces, and the need for financial sustainability. The plan is presented as an iterative process, with a revised version to be discussed in July and a final recommendation for action on August 4th. The discussion covered eight key components, ranging from school consolidations to program relocations and facility renovations, with an emphasis on the educational benefits and financial implications.
Sale of Fredell Building
Dissent: N/A (past action)
Moved by Previous Board Action · Seconded by Previous Board Action
The first component of the overall proposal, already approved by the board, is the sale of the Fredell building. It was noted that the building, formerly a furniture store and VA clinic, has limited transportation access, structural issues, and poor indoor air quality that would cost millions to remediate. Its sale is critical to avoid long-term financial burdens and provides temporary 'swing space' for the Phoenix Academy program.
Consolidation of Churchill and Hoover Elementary Schools (K-5) and Relocation of Early Learning to Gage Elementary
Dissent: Concerns regarding community engagement and disruption were voiced by Dr. Barlo and Director White Horton, though not as dissent to the plan itself but to the process.
Moved by N/A · Seconded by N/A
The proposal aims to combine Churchill and Hoover Elementary into a single K-5 school at the Hoover site, while relocating 13 early learning classrooms from Hoover to Gage Elementary. The primary educational rationale is to eliminate disruptive K-2 to 3-5 transitions, which negatively impact student progress, especially for struggling learners. This consolidation would allow for better teacher collaboration, shared resources, and family convenience. Moving early learning to Gage would fully utilize that half-empty building and potentially offer continuity for 'baby gators' from early learning through K-5. Community concerns were raised about disruption for walking students and general lack of involvement, which the Superintendent committed to addressing with further engagement. Board members emphasized the educational benefits for students and the efficient use of facilities.
Relocation of Middle School Alternative Learning Center (ALC) and Rochester Academy for Independent Learning (RAIL) to Churchill Elementary Building
Dissent: Concerns primarily from community members outside the meeting, regarding the nature of ALC students.
Moved by N/A · Seconded by N/A
The existing Churchill Elementary building is proposed to house the Middle School ALC and RAIL programs, with a modest addition to be built. This move is crucial for both programs, as ALC currently has a long waiting list and RAIL requires more space to meet significant regional demand for its services for young adults with disabilities. Discussions addressed community misconceptions about ALC students, clarifying they are often struggling with anxiety and depression rather than behavioral problems, and emphasized the need for a nurturing environment. The current excellent collaboration between ALC and RAIL staffs and students was cited as a reason to maintain their co-location.
Relocation of Girls Gymnastics Program
Dissent: N/A
Moved by N/A · Seconded by N/A
The girls gymnastics program, currently using the Fredell building gym, is proposed to relocate to One Athletics, a newly opened community provider. This move is seen as beneficial for both the program and the community business, ensuring continued access to gymnastics for 25 students.
Decentralization of Career and Technical Education (CEK) Programs
Dissent: N/A
Moved by N/A · Seconded by N/A
The proposal outlines moving CEK programming from the RCTC campus into the three comprehensive high schools: John Marshall, Century, and Mayo. This aims to save over half a million dollars annually in transportation and lease costs, as the current lease at RCTC is expiring. The shift is intended to increase student access and engagement in CTE courses, which have seen flat enrollment despite high economic demand for trades skills. Most classes would be housed directly in high schools, with a few specialized 'hub' sites for programs like welding. This requires infrastructure investment in high school facilities.
Renovation and Renaming of Education Service Center (ESC) for Phoenix Academy
Dissent: N/A
Moved by N/A · Seconded by N/A
Plans were presented for a major renovation of the current Education Service Center (ESC) building to better accommodate the Phoenix Academy program, which serves students with the most challenging disabilities (Setting IV). The renovated facility would be renamed Phoenix Academy and include a cafeteria, gym, health offices, and enhanced sensory support spaces, amenities currently lacking. During the renovation, Phoenix Academy would temporarily relocate to the Fredell building. The goal is to provide a more appealing, school-like environment that meets the unique needs of these students and their staff.
Funding Options for Facilities Projects
Dissent: N/A
Moved by N/A · Seconded by N/A
The Director of Finance presented an initial overview of potential funding sources for the $44 million project. These include dedicated state funding streams for facilities (not commingled with the general fund), committed cash reserves ($6 million), capital bonds (requiring general fund offsets), lease purchase agreements (allowing for new levy authority), and Long-Term Facility Maintenance (LTFM) dollars (taxpayer neutral if within the existing plan). The team will conduct a detailed analysis with financial advisors to determine precise tax impacts and firm recommendations before the August 4th vote.
Notable Quotes (15)
If we only do that in this building hermetically sealed looking at whiteboards and don't engage the broader community, we don't get the good ideas. So that's that next step. Um and then we br we we we we are where we are tonight which is to bring the board a proposal that is of sufficient detail for you to ask the questions uh provide the direction but not a completely developed proposal...
Number one, we have not one but two expert external projections of declining enrollment in Rochester public schools. And that is always a cognitive challenge for people because our community is growing. However, the birth rate has declined in the United States by 20% since 2008. Younger people are having far fewer kids.
school districts that don't make the hard decisions end up like some school districts in our state are now with wildly underutilized buildings which saps the quality of education we can provide our students.
It does not meet the needs of our students and it just the indoor air quality alone four years ago would have been a $15 million upgrade to say nothing of the structural improvements. And so as you recall we looked long and hard at ways to keep Fidel. Um to do so would be to have people sitting in our seats 10 years from now saying why did they keep that albatross around the school district's neck and so you voted um for that.
The critical point here board members is that the research is conclusive transitions are bad for educational progress and they are bad for developmental progress. This shows up from early childhood to elementary, from elementary to middle, from middle to high school. It is especially true for struggling students.
I've heard a lot from families saying that they would appreciate their kids being at one school. Um, I know of two families, it's not very many, but have left Churchill Hoover to go to a neighboring school because their kids could be at one place then. Um, and in terms of I know teachers like the small environment, you know, we have less than 200 kids at Churchill. That's a benefit um in terms of knowing all of the students and things, but the support across the buildings is just different than you'd get if it was a larger K5.
The advantages I see here is that we will have a prek at Gage, which is more northern. We'll have prek at Hoover, which is central, and then the Pinewood option in the south. So to me it gives parents a whole lot more flexibility and choice than they have currently.
The middle school ALC program is as board members know a program we started since I came to Rochester. We have a thriving high school ALC, but the middle school alternative learning center is really fundamentally different. Um these are students who are uh academically behind, many of whom are struggling with anxiety, even depression. It's a small nurturing environment.
I I think right now if you come into our school, I I think we're the best middle school alternative learning center in the state of Minnesota. Um, in six years I've had zero fights. Um, our students are I mean, we do a survey at the end of every year to to ask them about their experiences. 90% of those students or more than 90% say that their middle school um opportunities prior to coming to us were pretty negative. Um after coming to us, they would recommend us um to other students. So I our students aren't aren't violent troublemakers that I think we uh they sometimes get labeled as. um our our students are pretty awesome kids that are are just have some gaps um and some needs that maybe other students don't have.
But the reaction from some of our community was why do those kids need a beautiful space? And I would say those kids are the ones who need that the most. And your reference to uh Winston Churchill before, you know, the spaces do shape who we are. And so in some of the emails that we've gotten, I've had sort of that same kind of flavor of, oh, ALC middle school students, it's those kids again. And I'm really disturbed by that that we should have those kinds of attitudes in this community towards all of our children who need the help the most...
We're busing them across town to use an RPS space. And as board members know, that costs more than half a million dollars a year in transportation and lease space. Um, our lease is also up this year at RCTC for CEK space.
If it's in the high school, you'll be literally walk what's in that classroom, what's happening there. And of course, chances for kids to get to know teachers, for instance, before they actually choose to take one of those classes. Our enrollment in CEK has really been flat for about a decade.
We need one that looks aesthetically more appealing, not glamorous, not glitzy, but less like a factory or sometimes people say a prison. Um uh and more like a school. Um they have uh uh no fully functioning cafeteria and no gym space and every other school in our system has that. Um those students absolutely need that.
First of all, by state statute, there are funding streams that are available to school districts for facilities investments that are not available for teaching and learning. The deficit that board members uh have uh uh heard about in my budget proposal and that I think we have a good plan to uh resolve that you will vote on in your next meeting involves the general fund. It involves our dollars for teaching and learning. Those cannot be co-mingled with dollars that are dedicated for facilities purposes.
And so that would be one of those items that we would carefully want to consider because there could be a local tax impact or there would be a local tax impact. How much that would be, again, we have to do the work in the study to determine what that would look like.
Ordinances & Resolutions (7)
The comprehensive facilities and programming reorganization plan being discussed
District's strategic plan, considered including K-8 schools
Superintendent's financial plan, related to general fund deficit
Detailed document likely outlining the history and specifics of the facilities plan
Previous district initiative for attendance zone redesign
District plan for modifying attendance boundaries
Long-Term Facilities Maintenance plan, used for funding infrastructure projects