Prior Lake‑Savage board debates $4.1M in budget cuts and whether to close Twin Oaks pool

The Prior Lake‑Savage Area Schools Board of Education and district staff on Feb. 24 reviewed a package of proposed program and staffing reductions that administrators said would reduce roughly $4.1 million from the 2025‑26 general fund, and separately discussed mothballing or closing the Twin Oaks pool while exploring whether Community Education or outside partners could cover operating costs.

Administrators told the board the package includes personnel changes already authorized to proceed, program eliminations and contract reductions. Director of Finance/operations presentation materials and staff outlined these proposals in three phases: immediate staffing targets, program reductions under consideration now, and structural/operational changes for later years.

The proposals noted by administration include increasing class size targets (with resulting reductions in certified and noncertified positions described by staff), targeted reductions in special education paraprofessional hours ("reduce 3 elementary special ed paras, a half‑time high school special ed para, and adjust some special ed para hours"), elimination of the district's online program, and the elimination of certain contracts (EduCLIMBER, BrainPOP) and hardware reductions (fewer iPads for K‑1, fewer staff desktop computers). The board was told the district will close a leased Lakeville site and move some programming, including MinCAPS, into the high school to save transportation and facility costs.

Administration said a set of changes already authorized to move forward included reducing 6 FTEs (certified and noncertified combined, per the staff presentation), 4 noncertified positions at the elementary level, 3 FTE at the middle school and 8 FTE at the high school (materials as presented by staff). Those measures were presented as necessary to allow scheduling and enrollment decisions; board members were not shown to have taken a formal roll‑call vote at the study session.

On compensation and stipends, staff proposed cutting TOSA/peer coach stipends by 50% (staff estimated savings about $61,950) and moving Q‑Comp expenses to align with state reimbursement. The district presented a voluntary three‑day furlough option for employees on 260‑day calendars (about 215 individuals identified by staff), and said it would pursue chargebacks to Fund 4 (Community Education) to recoup roughly $125,000–$130,000 rather than impose a mandatory furlough. Administration said the voluntary approach is intended to avoid morale problems and possible collective bargaining complications.

Program details included eliminating the district's online learning program (administration: low enrollment and limited academic gains), a recommendation to eliminate one SAGE 3rd‑grade FTE (with alternate ways to deliver the service to be explored), and operational moves such as shifting MinCAPS from the leased Lakeville site to the high school to save on lease and transportation costs.

Twin Oaks pool: operating vs. capital costs

The district's discussion of the Twin Oaks pool became the most contested item. Facilities staff told the board the pool's straight operating cost is about $75,000 annually (utilities, chemicals) but that immediate capital needs for Tile/Gutter/HVAC and related repairs would total roughly $695,000 in the near term as staff had identified them. Facilities staff said some elements of that work overlap with the district's 10‑year long‑term facilities maintenance (LTFM) plan; the district's LTFM needs now total roughly $30 million while projected LTFM bonding capacity over 10 years is about $16 million, staff said.

Administrators proposed three main pathways: 1) keep and repair Twin Oaks using LTFM and general fund resources (which would displace other LTFM priorities), 2) transfer operational responsibility for pool programming and the $75,000 annual operating cost to Community Education (Fund 4) and outside partners while the district retains responsibility for capital repairs through LTFM/bonding or partner contributions, or 3) close Twin Oaks and consolidate aquatics at Hidden Oaks. Facilities staff warned that closing a pool and draining it is not a short‑term measure: reopening a drained pool can take years and would require substantial rework of joints, tunnel systems and mechanicals.

Board members expressed divided views. Several members urged looking for creative Community Education or partner solutions before approving a closure; others said the district's large backlog of LTFM needs makes the Twin Oaks repairs untenable without a bond or other new revenue. Administration said it could pursue vendor assessments (Aqualogic and similar firms) and examine rent/lease tradeoffs with community partners and the Storm swim club; staff requested board consensus to proceed with follow‑up work and to bring back formal recommendations.

What the board directed

At the study session the board did not adopt a final resolution but administration asked for direction to continue exploring options (partnering with Community Education, detailed vendor estimates, and the calendar/timetable for closure if necessary). Board members agreed they wanted more due diligence on Community Education's ability to absorb operations and on firm capital estimates before a final vote; some members said they would prefer moving pool operations to Community Education if feasible. Administration said a decision should be ready with firmer numbers before the June 9 budget adoption deadline.

Why it matters

District staff said the savings requested are part of a broader $4.1 million target in 2025‑26 general fund reductions; those cuts will affect staffing, curricula, instructional technology and extracurricular programming if approved later in the budget process. The Twin Oaks pool illustrates the tradeoff between recurring operating costs and larger capital investments; staff said the district lacks LTFM capacity to fund all identified facility needs and is prioritizing life‑safety work and systems that protect instructional space.

Next steps

Administration will return with vendor estimates for pool capital work, an analysis of the feasibility of Community Education operating the pool (including security/access changes and potential revenue models), and refined budget numbers for the June adoption. Staff said they would also pursue chargeback and offset options discussed in the meeting and report back on the voluntary furlough interest and the final estimated savings.