The meeting began with an approval of the purchase of a property located on Delton Avenue, adjacent to Minnetonka High School. This acquisition, priced at $365,000 with an additional $5,000 allowance for site cleanup, was highlighted as a strategic priority for the district. The district anticipates taking possession of the property on April 30th. The board recognized the property as a valuable asset, noting the district’s landlocked nature and emphasizing the importance of securing adjacent land without excessive financial strain. The purchase was approved unanimously.

Following this decision, a detailed presentation by Peter Leatherman from Morris Leatherman Surveys provided insights from a community survey conducted from January 21st to February 5th. This survey, involving 625 residents with a margin of error of plus or minus 4%, revealed that 91% rated the quality of education as excellent or good, surpassing the state norm of 80%. However, concerns about high taxes emerged, with 70% of respondents indicating that their overall tax burden was high. This highlighted the challenge the district faces in balancing the need for funding with the community’s sensitivity to tax increases.

Attention then turned to a proposed $85 million facilities improvement plan. The plan includes expanding school facilities to ease congestion and enhance educational environments, with a particular focus on safety and security, which garnered strong community support. The most supported areas for funding included safety enhancements and new middle school science labs. A $142 million bond referendum was initially suggested but scaled down to $85 million to mitigate tax impacts. The board expressed concerns about the economic environment’s impact on voter willingness to support the tax increase, emphasizing the need for strategic planning and community engagement.

Discussions also addressed the district’s operating budget and the potential for an operating referendum cap increase, necessitated by a $5 million budget reduction. The urgency of legislative action to increase the cap was stressed, amidst concerns about external fiscal pressures and the need to prioritize projects that directly affect student learning.

Moreover, the board explored the shift from late starts and early releases to full days of professional learning. This change aims to improve the effectiveness of educator development, aligning with feedback from educators who strongly preferred uninterrupted learning days. The board considered incorporating up to three professional learning days annually.

In addition, policy updates concerning emergency management were reviewed. The revisions aimed to modernize language and clarify procedures. The board emphasized the importance of effective communication with parents about safety protocols and emergency procedures, noting the availability of updated materials in each school building.