Rochester School Space Crunch on Horizon

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - It appears the Rochester School District will be going to voters within the next few years with a request to fund some new facilities.

Superintendent Michael Munoz, during a recent appearance on the Rochester Today Show with Andy Brownell on KROC-AM, discussed the school district's steadily rising enrollment and the crowded conditions already present in many of the district's elementary and middle school buildings. He says since he came to Rochester in 2011, the student headcount has grown by about 2,000 and is on the verge of exceeding 18,000 students.

The official enrollment figure reported to the state on October 1, 2017, was 17,932. That was 286 higher than the student headcount from the previous October and exceeded the school district's most recent enrollment projections by about 40 students. Munoz says he expects the Destination Medical Center initiative will fuel even more growth in coming years and he anticipates opening a discussion with the community concerning a possible school bond issue referendum within the next couple years.

The timing could prove fortunate for the school district. Munoz says the bonds issued to pay for the construction of Century High School and Riverside Elementary School are scheduled to be paid off in about two years. The Superintendent says he expects there will be a need for new schools at both the elementary and middle school levels and he's hopeful the retirement of the bonds could result in a proposal that would have little impact on average property bills.

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