Just as school districts are putting away their ballot boxes, the Prior Lake-Savage school board has begun planning for a May 2016 referendum. Officials want to spend the additional tax dollars on a new elementary school, part of an emerging plan to accommodate 1,250 more students in the coming years.

The district is expecting continued enrollment growth. Enrollment, expected to be 7,800 at the end of this school year, will likely grow to more than 9,000 students by 2020, projections show.

The school board is also planning other measures to accommodate the increase, including classroom and core space additions to several schools. Plans will be solidified and board action taken in the spring, according to the district website.