On November 5, 2019, White Bear Lake Area School District voters approved a $326 million building bond request to address building needs across the district by a margin of 57.4% yes to 42.6% (unofficial results: 8,536 yes votes, 6,336 no votes). The bond funding will be used to:
address projected enrollment growth throughout the district;
provide safe, secure and healthy learning environments for all students through investments in our aging facilities and infrastructure;
increase opportunities for students by creating a single unified grades 9-12 high school;
and create flexibly-designed learning spaces to support student-centered instruction
While graphic representations of proposed building plans were made available during the district's bond referendum informational campaign, the official design process could not happen until the bond referendum had passed because the design costs are part of the approved funding. Initial planning began in November, 2019.
It is anticipated that construction will take place in phases until the 2024-25 school year.
The new elementary school is expected to open for the 2022-23 school year and the new, unified White Bear Lake Area High School is expected to be open to house students in grades 9-12 for the 2024-25 school year. Additional facilities projects will be completed in the meantime.
The facilities plan is comprehensive, touching every building and program in the district. Information about the projects that will be completed at each building can be found here.
Funds will be invested to accommodate projected enrollment growth; provide safe, secure and healthy learning environments for all students through investments in our aging facilities and infrastructure; increase opportunities for students by creating a single unified grades 9-12 high school; and create flexibly-designed learning spaces to support student-centered instruction.
The following Comprehensive Facilities Plan construction projects will address building needs across the district:
district-wide additions and renovations to accommodate projected enrollment growth,
safety and security improvements and deferred maintenance projects at all district facilities,
district-wide classroom and building updates to create flexible learning spaces.
In addition, building-specific changes, which are primarily driven by enrollment growth and classroom needs, will include:
a new K-5 elementary school being built in Hugo,
Converting Oneka from grades 2-5 to a K-5 elementary and Hugo Elementary from grades K-1 to a northern Early Childhood location,
the current grades 9-10 North Campus receiving an addition to become the district’s grade 9-12 high school,
Sunrise Park Middle School moving to the current grades 11-12 South Campus location,
the current Sunrise Park Middle School site becoming the site for various community programs including the Senior Center and Early Childhood programs currently housed at Normandy Park, the Transition Education Center currently located in leased space in Hugo, and the district office,
Central Middle School expanding to take over the current District Center building.
The Future of Learning Committee was formed to study the future of learning in White Bear Lake Area Schools and make recommendations to create District-wide alignment between the Strategic Plan, the design of learning spaces, and educational programming. This committee will make recommendations to create educational space standards and program development for ISD #624.
