Facility task force recommendation cut to $85 million; bond referendum set for Nov. 4

Members of the Minnetonka School Board heard a summary of the facility study task force on Wednesday and were told the group's prioritized recommendations have been packaged into an $85 million building bond referendum that will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. The task force, composed of parents, students, staff and administrators, toured every district building and gathered principal and staff input before producing an initial list of about $193 million in needs, Dr. Jackie Geddy said. "They came back, and it was about 120,000,000, still a little high for us to go to the community and ask for that support, and then whittled it to 85,000,000 of the most important projects. And that is the building bond referendum that will be on the ballot on November 4," Geddy said. Superintendent Law and staff described outreach plans: an informational campaign and link in the annual report to help residents understand the projects before voting. The task force recommended projects across the district; staff did not present the line-by-line project list in the study-session summary but said the bond represents the priorities identified through building tours and staff surveys. Board members thanked task force volunteers and discussed outreach to voters; communications staff said the report and campaign materials will be distributed to residents and families if the board approves the final report. No formal bond authorization was taken during the meeting; the presentation was informational and staff said they will return with materials and any required formal steps as the referendum approaches.