Montevideo, Minnesota, school district voters to decide $54.86M and $11.34M bond issues for new facilities

Tom Cherveny, West Central Tribune, Willmar, Minn.
·2 min read

Feb. 17—MONTEVIDEO

— Residents in the Montevideo School District will go to the polls May 9 to decide two bond issues totaling $66.195 million for new building construction.

School board members at their meeting Monday unanimously approved putting two separate bond questions to voters.

Voters will decide whether to approve a $54.86 million bond for new academic facilities. The plan calls for closing and demolishing the existing Sanford Elementary and Ramsey Elementary buildings. The current middle school would be reconfigured to serve as an elementary school for grades K-4.

The current high school would be renovated to serve as a middle school for grades 5-8.

A new high school would be built on the north end of the current high school building to serve as the senior high for grades 9-12.

Voters will also decide whether to approve a $11.335 million bond for a new fine arts center.

The district has been working with architects for 14 months to develop the plans now being brought to the voters, according to Superintendent Wade McKittrick.

While the district facilities are well-maintained, age has taken its toll, particularly on the elementary schools, according to community presentations held last year by the district and CD Smith / Bray Architects.

If the district were to address all of the deficiencies in the existing facilities, it would cost in the neighborhood of $109 million to $110 million, according to the presentations.

McKittrick told the West Central Tribune that the district will be working to inform residents about the building proposals at a series of upcoming meetings.

Community meetings are planned Tuesday, March 14, at 6 p.m. at Ramsey Elementary; Monday, March 27, at 6 p.m. at the middle school; Monday, April 17, at 6 p.m. in the high school library; and Tuesday, April 18, at 6 p.m. at the senior center.

In addition, the superintendent said school board members are hoping to hold anywhere from 30 to 40 question-and-answer sessions with smaller groups during March. He said the goal is to make sure voters are as informed as possible.

A survey of district residents conducted for the district last year indicated that a larger, $59.3 million academic project would be approved by 53.2% of voters in a referendum, but only if the district could persuade one-third of those who are undecided to support it. School board members pared the project down in response to the survey findings.

The survey by School Perceptions of Slinger, Wisconsin, found that the margin of support for a fine arts center was higher.