District official urges bond to replace aging transformers, modernize South St. Paul schools

A district official for South St. Paul Public School Dist said the district will ask voters to approve a bond and capital projects levy aimed at repairing aging infrastructure and updating learning spaces.

"The key purpose of this bond and capital projects levy that we're putting forward to the community is really to maintain or say like let maintain the legacy," the official said, arguing the package is intended to preserve the district's long-standing schools and educational programs.

The official singled out electrical systems as a critical vulnerability. "We have a old old transformers located in our building. And that puts us at an extreme vulnerability if one of those goes down, we're going to be um dead in the water," the official said, warning a transformer failure could force cancellations.

Beyond infrastructure, the official said the bond would create opportunities to update classroom spaces and equipment. "We'd like to look at... partnering with our community here. Is this something we want and bring this back? And I really think the answer to that is yes," the official said, describing an interest in reviving hands-on trades training and equipping spaces for collaboration.

The speaker also emphasized technology and teacher support, saying students should have access to "the newest technology" and teachers should have the tools they need so "we don't want any barriers to success."

The official did not specify a dollar amount, ballot timing or a formal vote in the remarks. No motions, votes or formal actions were recorded in the provided transcript; the remarks focused on goals the district would seek through a future bond and capital projects levy.

The presentation closed with a restatement of the aim: if the bond and capital projects succeed, the district would "continue the high quality education and the positive experiences people have come to know us as St. Paul," the official said.