Montevideo Public Schools surveying its western Minnesota district on $59.3M facilities proposal

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

Oct. 25—MONTEVIDEO

— Residents in the Montevideo School District are being asked to weigh in on the district's latest plan to address its facilities needs.

The school district has mailed surveys to households and is hosting listening sessions to explain the proposal and gather input. School board members are hoping to know the results of the surveys in November.

The survey results will let school board members know whether to proceed with the plans, or whether they need to look anew at ways to meet the needs, according to Superintendent Wade McKittrick.

At the first listening session held Thursday evening, McKittrick said the goal is to find a plan that "makes sense educationally and what our desires are and what our pocketbooks will support."

The recommended plan calls for three school buildings on the current high school and middle school campus, according to information provided at the listening session by Matt Wolfert, president and architect with Bray Architects.

It comes at an estimated cost of $59.3 million.

The plan calls for closing and demolishing the existing Sanford and Ramsey Elementary buildings. The current middle school building 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.

The new high school and middle school would be attached but autonomous buildings, according to Wollert. "Fifth-graders aren't going to be walking the halls with 12th-graders," he said.

The buildings would be separate with their own entrances, cafeterias and gyms. The configuration will allow for sharing some space for choir and band, but students will rely on instructors for access to those shared areas.

The recommend plans also includes a separate proposal for an 800-seat auditorium on the campus. It has an estimated cost of $11.4 million.

Along with information on the plans, the surveys sent to district households also include information on the projected tax impact for residential, commercial and agricultural properties. Wolfert said that if a bond is approved in a referendum, the state would fund an estimated 45% of the overall bond costs.

The district has been examining its building needs as part of a process launched in February. While the district facilities are well-maintained, age has taken its toll, particularly on the elementary schools, according to Wolfert.

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

"We're not asking to do that. It's simply that's what it would take if we went down that road," he said.

Whether the district goes down the road of the recommended plan will likely depend entirely on the survey responses, according to Wolfert. He said a 20% return rate — which is what is expected — would give school board members an accurate idea of whether voters in the district would support the plan.

He said the district is working to get word out about the plan, and especially wants to bring it to the attention of residents who do not have children in the schools. They comprise 70 to 75% of the district population, and will be the deciding factor in any vote on a bond.

Supt. McKittrick emphasized that the district "is a long ways from a referendum" at this time, although one could be held as early as spring of 2023. He said the district wants to take what he called a "slow and steady" approach and make sure the plans fit what residents want.

"Because in the end, I don't want to sell anything. I don't want to sell a referendum," McKittrick said. "In our world, our job is to do what the community tells us to do."

Voters in the Montevideo district rejected a proposal for building needs in an April 2020 referendum. They turned down a $47.75 million bond — by a vote of 872 to 744 — for a plan which called for building a new preK-4 elementary and upgrading the middle school.

Voters also rejected a $13.28 million bond for a proposed 1,200-seat auditorium by a 945 to 669 tally in the same referendum.