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ISD 279 to reconfigure 279 Online; district cites low K-4 enrollment and $1.2M operating deficit
Summary
The district announced it will reconfigure 279 Online to a middle and high school beginning fall 2025, removing full-time K-4 online options; staff reported 56 affected elementary families and said the program is currently running about a $1.2 million deficit.
Superintendent Kim Heil and district staff told the ISD 279 school board that the district will reconfigure its full-time online option, 279 Online, into a secondary (middle and high school) program beginning in fall 2025.
"We are currently deficit spending $1,200,000, to sustain, our current offerings," a district presenter said while reviewing enrollment and fiscal trends. District staff said 279 Online's enrollment fell from 901 students in the inaugural year to roughly 365 full-time scholars in the most recent counts, with a stronger enrollment at the middle and high-school levels and a sustained decline at the elementary level.
The reconfiguration means kindergarten through grade 4 families will need to choose another elementary option for the 2025'26 school year. District staff described a communications plan that began with a staff meeting on Feb. 3, followed by emails to families and a public online meeting; staff said 56 elementary families are affected, 35 of whom have already committed to an elementary school and about 20 who had not yet responded at the time of the presentation.
Board members voiced concern about the timing and the sense among some that the change "popped up" quickly; they also pressed staff on transition supports for students and staff. One board member cited Minnesota statute language and case law in arguing the move is a reconfiguration rather than a school closure because no physical building is being shuttered. District staff said they will continue individualized outreach, develop a frequently asked questions document from their thought-exchange feedback, and offer supports similar to those used in prior repurposing efforts.
