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Board seeks new demographic and facilities studies to guide budget and right-sizing decisions
Summary
Superintendent Grant recommended commissioning a five-year demographic study (with option for longer range scenarios) and considering an architectural building study to inform staffing, enrollment and potential school consolidation or repurposing decisions; board members endorsed seeking reputable consultants such as Hazel Reinhart.
Facing a multi-year enrollment decline and COVID-era disruptions, Brainerd Public School District officials asked the board to commission new demographic and facilities studies to inform near-term budgeting and long-term facility planning.
Superintendent Grant said a five-year demographic snapshot would help the district "right-size" facilities and budget decisions rather than relying on gut instinct. He recommended contacting demographer Hazel Reinhart, whom the district and state have used previously. "My recommendation is that we would see if she would do this for us and get it done so we have some good data," Grant said.
Board members debated a five-year versus a 10-year study; some favored a five-year snapshot as more actionable given rapid post-COVID changes. Members also suggested contracting with an architecture firm to study building utilization and possible reconfiguration for early-childhood or other revenue-generating uses.
Administration said the district will pursue cost and timeline estimates and return with recommendations and trade-offs for board consideration. No procurement or contract was approved at the work session.
