School briefs: South Washington County officials eye sweeping facilities plan

Nearly a decade after backing what was described at the time as the state's largest-ever school bond issue, voters in the South Washington County School District could see a similarly sized facilities request again in 2015.

District officials are holding a series of meetings through Oct. 27 to seek public input on two proposed building packages. Each option would cost about $146 million and include a new middle school in either Cottage Grove or Woodbury.

In 2006, voters authorized a $149 million bond issue to finance construction of East Ridge High School and other projects.

The district now hopes to put before voters a proposal to meet elementary, middle and high school facilities needs through 2023-24. South Washington County, which had 17,737 students in 2013-14, according to the state, could add another 3,500 students by 2025 based on current housing projections, officials say.

The community conversations being hosted by Superintendent Keith Jacobus involve two building options, dubbed Package A and Package B. But elements of the two could be intermingled by the time an administrative steering committee makes its final recommendation to the school board on Nov. 6.

The board is expected to take final action on the long-range facilities plan on Nov. 20. Work then could begin on a referendum campaign, the district said.

Package A calls for a new middle school in northwest Cottage Grove, building additions at Woodbury, Park and East Ridge high schools, and the acquisition by 2018-19 of Valley Crossing Community School, which now serves three districts and is governed by the Northeast Metro 916 Intermediate School District.

Nuevas Fronteras also figures into the Package A proposal. In that scenario, Oltman Middle School would be replaced by the proposed Cottage Grove middle school and then renovated to house the Spanish immersion program.

The first of four public sessions was held last week. The next three will be held Monday, Oct. 20, at Woodbury High School, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the District Service Center, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.; and Monday, Oct. 27, at Oltman Middle School, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Information about the proposals is available on the "Hot Topics" section of the district's website.

The Stillwater school district's media centers now have a digital tool to help manage the old-school medium of books.

A software system called Destiny allows the media centers to link library collections electronically and makes it easy for students and others to check out books, glean recommendations of what they should read and maintain lists of books they've read.

The software was purchased through a grant from the Partnership Plan, a nonprofit organization that funds enrichment programs in the Stillwater Area Public Schools.