A: This referendum is a request for $43.975 million to build and equip a new elementary school, including the purchase of land. The request is due to continued growth in the district, especially at the elementary level, that is putting increasing pressure on our school capacity. We anticipate our elementary enrollment to increase more than 20% in the next five years - which translates to more than 1,000 new elementary students.

A: The vote is May 11, 2021. Polls will be open 7am to 8pm. Learn more about where and how to vote here on our Voting Information page.

A: If voters approve the referendum, planning for the new 750-student elementary school would begin in summer 2021, with community input.

• Construction would begin summer 2022, with the school opening in fall 2024.
• Building a new elementary school would enable us to accommodate our growing enrollment in a thoughtful and planful way.
• The school would be built so that it could be expanded to 900 students in the future, if needed.
• The estimated tax impact for the average homeowner ($400,000 value home) would be about $4 per month.

A: If voters do not approve the referendum we will not get a new elementary school. Recent additions to five of our elementary schools have provided short-term relief but do not solve our long-term growth needs.

Without a new elementary school:

• We will be hundreds of students beyond capacity by fall 2024 and getting more crowded each year thereafter.
• The district would need to find ways to manage the overcrowding such as increased class sizes, program changes and/or temporary boundary changes.

A: Yes! In Minnesota you do not need a reason to vote early. Early voting - by mail or in-person - begins Friday, March 26, 2021.  Learn more about where and how to vote here on our Voting Information page. 

A: While most of the polling locations are the same as they were in November 2020, special elections for school districts do combine some polling locations. The best way to find your polling location is to visit the Secretary of State’s pollfinder website. More information about voting is also on our Voting page. If you still have questions about where to vote, contact Deanna Werner at 952-232-2001 or Deanna.Werner@isd194.org.

A: Per state law, school districts rely on locally approved funding for some of their needs that are brought to voters via referendum votes. In November 2019, the district had two questions on the ballot to address student opportunities, safety and security: question one was for an operating levy increase to support the costs of running our schools, and question two was for bond funds to support various building improvements across the district. Bonds are for building and levies are for learning. Learn more about the 2019 referendum here.

A: To provide short-term relief for our growing enrollment, the district recently constructed additions to five of its elementary schools. These additions were funded using “lease levy” dollars, which are funds the district can access for smaller projects without voter approval. However, these additions do not provide enough space for the continued enrollment growth anticipated in the next several years. During the last four years more than 1,700 new homes, townhomes and apartment buildings have been approved in Lakeville, and this growth trend is expected to continue. Our community expects to add nearly 13,000 residents in the next ten years - which will include many school-age children.

A: Since closing Crystal Lake Elementary, the facility has been repurposed into the district’s early childhood programming center. The facility now houses all early childhood special education programming, early childhood screening, family classes as well as our Small Wonders Preschool. Converting the building back is not a viable solution because the district needs dedicated space for our early learners.

A: On April 27 at the Regular School Board Meeting, the Board of Education approved a dome agreement with Dome Partners LLC, a private group that will be funding the entire cost of erecting and maintaining a seasonal sports dome over the district’s dome-ready turf deck at Lakeville North High School, which will open late Fall 2021 for the season. Both high schools will have equal access to the space.

The agreement also includes an exclusive option for the private group to erect and maintain a second seasonal dome at Lakeville South High School within 12 months thereafter at $0 cost to the district. 

The agreement follows years of discussion and many meetings among the School Board and Administration to partner with the private group to offer more athletic and activities space to the Lakeville Area community, which continues to be in high demand. 

Background: In November 2019, the district had two questions on the ballot to address student opportunities, safety and security: question one was for an operating levy increase to support the costs of running our schools, and question two was for bond funds to support various building improvements across the district which included two turf fields with dome-ready foundations.

A: Our grade 1-12 projections are based on historical year over year increases for each grade. Our kindergarten projections are based on historical trends in kindergarten enrollment, because they don’t have a previous grade to base their growth on.

In general, we get more families at all grades every year than we had the prior year, due to all the new housing and new families moving to our district. Based on the accelerated growth at elementary grades, it appears many families move to our district when their children are young to enroll in our schools. We use housing permits to confirm whether historical trends will continue, but we don’t rely on them to determine our projections. Our projections are primarily based on who actually showed up for school in the past, and thus are student-centered not housing-centered.

A: Attendance boundaries for the new school would be developed in collaboration with the community if the referendum vote is successful. Because the new elementary would not open until 2024, there would be three years to plan for its opening.

A: A location has not been determined, since the voters have not yet approved the referendum request. The district is keeping its options open, which should help with negotiations if the referendum is approved.

A: The total bond request is for $43.975 million which covers: the cost of land; building the school; equipping the school with fixtures, furniture and technology; and all associated fees and financing costs. Because this cost is spread over all property owners in the district through a 20-year bond, the tax impact for the average homeowner ($400,000 value home) is about $4 per month. Learn more about the tax impact here.

A: State funding follows students - so as our enrollment grows, state revenue also increases to cover the costs of educating the new students. We anticipate that by the time the new school would open in 2024, the increase in revenue provided by the growth in students may be enough to pay for the new school’s operating costs (staff, classroom materials, etc). If it is not, the district has the option of asking voters to increase its operating levy, which are locally approved dollars all Minnesota school districts rely on to operate their schools. Because the new school would not open for three more years, it would be premature to ask for a levy increase so far in advance.

A: We are proud of our early childhood programs. However, the reason we are asking our community to consider this referendum is our pressing need for more space for elementary students. Our goal is to be conservative and financially responsible, asking for what we need, when we need it. While the new school may free up space across the district to house some early childhood programs in elementary schools, that is not the purpose of the referendum. We also need space in our elementaries for special education programming. With our current projection of more than 1,000 more elementary students in the next five years, this referendum is focused on providing space for those elementary students.

A: More new homes do not result in more income to the school district - but it does mean that any city, county or school tax burden is spread over more residents. Thus, when our community grows, tax rates go down and individual homeowners’ taxes are lower. School districts are required to ask their residents to approve bonds to pay for new schools, as their state funding does not cover such large expenses. Property tax revenue is also not sufficient to pay for building a school and must be used to support school operating costs. State law does not allow school districts to levy taxes on a subset of our taxpayers, so there is no way for us to target a tax to new homeowners. The good news is that all of those new houses pay their share of the total tax cost. This means that even though the school district is asking to increase taxes when it has a referendum on the ballot, the new properties help keep the tax burden on individual taxpayers low. If this request for a new elementary school is approved by voters on May 11, the estimated tax impact is about $4 a month for the average homeowner ($400,000 value home).

A: Our overall K-12 enrollment is projected to grow 20% in the next decade. We currently have enough capacity at our middle and high schools, but with that level of growth, it is likely that more school space will be needed in the future. While we anticipate our ongoing growth will likely lead to future school building needs, we know that projections can change and we are continually reassessing our needs. We intend to wait until it’s clear more space is needed to make any additional requests of our residents. The district takes a conservative and respectful approach by asking the community for what it needs, when it’s needed.