FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What challenges are our school buildings facing?

Our two school buildings are among the oldest in the state of Minnesota. They have served us well, but are now in need of major repairs and renovations. Classrooms are undersized and outdated, and building infrastructure such as walls, windows, doors, and HVAC systems are in need of significant repair and replacement. Further, they need extensive updates to improve security to entrances and to meet federal accessibility requirements for those with disabilities. You can learn more about our facilities needs here.

Why didn’t the school district maintain the buildings? 

Our maintenance staff has done an admirable job of keeping our schools in the best condition possible with the given maintenance budget. Still, the reality is that our buildings are not designed with today’s education in mind. Further, the very old age of our buildings has caused repair needs to accelerate beyond maintenance capacity and resources. Without significant renovations, costs will continue to outgrow the available resources to repair or replace them.

What is Nashwauk-Keewatin Schools planning to do to meet the challenges of our schools?

School board members and district leaders have been studying options including assessing the cost and feasibility of remodeling one or both existing buildings and comparing options for building a new school. 

The district has also held numerous meetings with teachers, staff, parents, and members of the community to listen to residents’ ideas about how the school should address its facilities issues. Additionally, the district has been gathering the public’s input about various aspects of the planning through its online survey platform, Thought Exchange since January 2021. 

Elected officials including Commissioner Ben DeNucci, Representative Julie Sanstede, Senator David Tomassoni as well as representatives of the IRRRB have all been assisting with the development of a plan to help NK modernize its school. The school board will use this information in consultation with its financial advisors and building experts to develop a comprehensive plan to present to voters. 

Have local community members been involved in the long-range facilities planning process? 

Yes. Over the past year, the district has held dozens of one-on-one meetings with community stakeholders, as well as regular group information sessions. Input from staff, students and community members was also gathered via ThoughtExchange, an online platform that gave residents several weeks to respond to specific questions about what the future of NK’s schools should look like. The school board has been meeting regularly to review improvement scenarios and determine the best ways to align them with educational needs and community feedback.

What is included in the plan and where will it be located?

With the help of construction and tax consultants, the district is in the process of developing a plan that meets the needs of our students while balancing our responsibility to the community and taxpayers. As soon as more details about the plan, cost and timing are known, this website will be updated with all such information.

Did the district consider remodeling the existing buildings?

Yes. School construction experts presented the school board with three options for remodeling the existing buildings. But given the very old age of our school buildings and the extent of the needed repairs, it is estimated that renovating our existing buildings would cost approximately $41 to $47 million. The school board is in the process of developing a plan that would be more cost-efficient.

What’s going to happen to the existing buildings if we build a new school?

Decisions have not yet been made about either new construction or the future of the existing buildings. Still, the district has held numerous meetings and online listening sessions to gather input from residents and community leaders of Nashwauk and Keewatin to make sure that a broad range of ideas can be considered. Residents are encouraged to share their ideas with the school district by contacting Craig Menozzi at cmenozzi@isd319.org.

Doesn’t NK have declining enrollment?

Nashwauk-Keewatin’s enrollment has been generally steady over the past decade. NK serves approximately 560 students in our school district that covers 275 square miles. The school board is in the process of developing a plan that makes the most efficient use of space and costs.

Why can't NK consolidate with Greenway and use their building?

NK and Greenway explored the possibility of consolidation through a series of meetings between 2016-2019, but the Greenway school board ended further talks in 2019. Even if NK and Greenway consolidated, it would not solve the facilities problems since we would still need to ensure adequate square footage to accommodate the entire combined student population.  

It should also be noted that NK regularly shares resources with neighboring school districts to ensure the district can offer student programs and athletics while making sure our limited budget is used efficiently.

How much will it cost to build new vs. remodeling our existing buildings?

School construction experts presented the NK School Board with three options for remodeling our existing buildings. Remodeling estimates ranged between $41 million and $47 million. Because a new construction plan is still being developed, we are not yet able to provide a cost for it. However, as soon as the board votes on the plan (which they expect to do during the summer of 2021), the district will fully inform residents about the cost of the plan and the impact that it will have on property taxpayers.