District recommends amended scenario 2a for elementary and middle school boundaries; May 20 vote set

Osseo Public School District staff on Tuesday recommended “amended scenario 2a” for elementary and middle school attendance boundaries, saying the plan would affect roughly 2,000 students and would be presented to the board for a formal vote on May 20.

The recommendation, presented at a May 6 work session, is the product of a multi-month community engagement process that included two surveys, informational meetings and targeted outreach. "We had over 60,000 views to our boundaries website," said Kay Valella, the district's executive director of community relations, as staff summarized participation and outreach efforts.

John Morstead, the district's executive director of finance and operations, outlined the reasons staff favored amended scenario 2a. He said the plan balances building capacities, improves feeder patterns and eliminates non‑adjoining geographic areas. "Approximately 2,000 elementary and middle school students would be impacted by this scenario," Morstead said, adding that the number is about 320 fewer than the district's January initial proposal and about 120 fewer than the March proposal.

Staff described two specific edits that form the amended recommendation: shifting the very northwestern portion of Edinbrook’s boundary to Osseo Middle School, and keeping the Sundance neighborhood wholly assigned to Fernbrook Elementary School rather than splitting it. Officials said the plan was designed to minimize the number of students changed, improve transportation efficiency and preserve neighborhood integrity.

Staff also outlined implementation steps if the board approves the recommendation. The district said it will notify families, fine‑tune special‑education assignments, adjust transportation routes (including moving one elementary school from an evening-tiered bus schedule to an earlier tier), and begin staffing adjustments in accordance with existing labor agreements. The district signaled a limited grandfathering option: fifth- and eighth‑grade students impacted by the change will have the option to remain at their current school for the 2026–27 year, with families responsible for transportation.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the session about bell times, special‑education placement and how the district reached underrepresented communities for input. Staff confirmed current earliest elementary start times are about 8:50 a.m. and said it is their goal to expand on‑site special‑education programming so fewer students require transport to other buildings.

The board did not vote at the work session. The district said the vote on amended scenario 2a is scheduled for the May 20 regular meeting; staff emphasized families and staff will receive further detailed updates if the board approves the plan.