Wayzata District Proposes Bond Referendum for New Schools, High School Expansion
Lunch time at Wayzata East Middle school in Plymouth can best be described as “organized chaos.”
“We just kind of try to circle around each other and try not to get in each other’s ways,” said Ann Johnson, the café manager at Wayzata East Middle School.
Johnson said her staff serves about 670 students a day. However, their kitchen isn’t all that big, which makes the whole operation challenging.
“I have to come up with very unique ways to store everything because it’s very limited space,” Johnson said. “Both our freezer and our cooler, but even our storage room. So, it’s very tight quarters for our staff for how many students that we’re serving every day.”
Ultimately, Johnson would like a larger kitchen, and it’s possible she’ll get her wish.
Wayzata Superintendent Chace Anderson said upgraded kitchens and cafeterias at several schools are among the many improvements the district looks to make as enrollment continues to rise.
“I’m in my 18th year here in this role as superintendent,” said Anderson. “When I came here in 2008, we had 9,600 students in grades K-12.”
Of those students, Anderson said roughly 8,000 lived within the district, and 1,500 were open-enrolled.
Now, he said the district has about 12,700 students, and of that number, only about 300 are open-enrolled.
Essentially, the population is growing. So to accommodate the continued population growth, Anderson said the district needs to prepare.
The kitchen at Wayzata East Middle School would be expanded if voters approve the bond referendum.
Ballot questions
In April, the district will likely hold a special election where voters will have to answer three ballot questions:
Question 1: Technology levy renewal with no tax increase (Amount: $7 million per year)
Question 2: Bond funding for adequate student capacity at all levels, safety and security district-wide, and critical remodeling and enhancements to create consistent student experiences across the district. (Amount: $465 million)
Question 3: Bond funding for new 8-lane pool with separate diving well at Wayzata High School. (Amount: $31 million)
(Question 3 is contingent on Question 2 passing)
“The projects, and the importance of these projects, is clear in all of our minds,” said Anderson. “Our goal between now and then will be to help make it clear in the minds of our community members.”
If district voters approve all three questions, a homeowner in a median-priced home of $650,000 would see a tax increase of $33 a month.
Back at Wayzata East Middle School, the kitchen staff is holding out hope that voters will serve up a “yes” vote on the facilities package.
“I’m really hoping it will happen. Especially for our kitchen,” said Johnson. “Being selfish, but I’d love that.”
The Minnesota Department of Education still has to review and approve the facilities proposal. If that happens, the district expects to hold the special bond referendum on April 14, 2026.
The Wayzata School District would build an addition to Wayzata High School if voters approve the bond referendum.
Related: CCX News Special Report: How Wayzata Area Schools Handle Plymouth’s Population Growth
Wayzata High School
