frequently asked questions

questions about THE PROCESS

  • Since fall 2023, our district has gone through a comprehensive long-range planning process to ensure all facility and educational needs were identified, discussed, prioritized, and fiscally addressed. This process included creating a Facilities Committee, holding two community meetings, gathering internal and external stakeholder feedback, and completing various analyses, including a facility assessment, an educational adequacy assessment, a space utilization study, a demographics study, a utility analysis, a financial analysis, and more. In addition, we brought in ICS, an experienced K-12 planning and construction management firm, OPN Architects, an experienced K-12 architect, and Baird, our district’s experienced financial consultant. 

    After all facility needs were prioritized and discussed, they were presented to the school board by the Facilities Committee for further consideration. On Friday, May 23, the school board approved submitting a Review and Comment to the MDE, the formal documentation required for building bond referendums. On Friday, July 18, the school board formally approved a resolution to present voters with two questions on Tuesday, November 4. Learn more by visiting our Process Page.

  • Yes. The district submitted a Review and Comment document to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), a required step for building bond referenda. The MDE carefully reviews project plans, financial data, and facility assessments to ensure the proposal addresses real needs and is fiscally responsible. The MDE issued a Positive Review and Comment, confirming the district’s proposed improvements are reasonable and necessary.

  • A building bond referendum raises funds for long-term facility improvements like new construction, major renovations, or deferred maintenance projects. 

    An operating levy raises funds for day-to-day expenses, like staff salaries, utilities, classroom supplies, and educational programming. Bond referendum funds cannot legally be used for operational costs. The district is proposing a building bond referendum as Question One and an operating levy as Question Two on the ballot for Tuesday, November 4. 

  • We are grateful for our communities’ support on a two-question referendum that was approved in November 2015—a building bond referendum and an operating levy. The building bond allowed our district to focus on a single facility in Granada, where operating two buildings was inefficient and costly. District residents were presented with a two-question referendum in November 2022 to build two new classrooms, an upgraded kitchen, and an agriculture shop and replace and reduce our operating levy. The building bond referendum failed by only 19 votes and, although the operating levy passed, it was contingent on the successful passage of Question One, which means it did not pass. 

    Since that time, we gathered feedback from our community and our facility and educational needs remain unaddressed. It’s important that we provide adequate space and educational programs for our teachers to educate and students to learn and grow. The school board wants to provide another opportunity for residents to consider investing in these improvements. 

    Along with the Facilities Committee, the school board feels confident the proposed plan best positions the district for the future.

questions about our challenges

  • We are proud to provide small class sizes and an engaging curriculum for our students. However, 1) we do not have adequate space to support our students and staff, and 2) key infrastructure improvements are needed to reduce stress on our 10-year Long-Term Facilities Maintenance (LTFM) plan, which outlines our physical building needs. 

    Learn more by visiting our Challenges Page.

  • As enrollment has increased over the past decade, we are using every available space to educate our students, including areas not designed for educational purposes, including under stairwells and in hallways. We have done our best to repurpose space for our educational needs, including repurposing an area of our media center for small groups and a meeting room. In addition, enrollment has been closed for most of our middle school grades for the past few years, 4th grade enrollment was closed for the 2024-2025 school year, and we are projecting to also close enrollment for 5th grade and 9th grade for the 2025-2026 school year. Although we want our district’s enrollment to continue growing, we do not have the space to educate additional students. 

    With our building being fully utilized, class sizes exceed recommended room capacity levels, which limits educational opportunities and puts an unnecessary strain on staff to provide the best possible learning environment. In fact, our capacity and space analysis identified that our building is operating at a 99% utilization rather than 75-80%, which is typical for similar-sized buildings. Although a slight enrollment decrease is expected over the next decade, providing appropriate space now best positions our students and staff for the future, especially as education evolves.

    Many of our spaces, including our woods shop, welding shop, Special Education resource rooms and breakout rooms, restrooms, and food service areas do not meet the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) educational adequacy guidelines. For example, our welding shop is 500 square feet less than the MDE’s recommendation, which limits the projects students can complete and creates safety concerns. Reading groups and paraprofessionals are working with students under stairwells. Additionally, our food service areas, including our cafeteria, kitchen and prep area, storage, and cooler/freezer space are greatly undersized, which limits our ability to serve students efficiently.

    Although we have been dealing with a lack of space for the past eight years, it’s ultimately impacting instruction and education, and we need additional space for our students and staff.

  • Districts are allocated limited dollars from the state to use for physical facility improvements, and we are continuously planning for future maintenance needs as part of our LTFM plan. After analyzing that plan, we have identified approximately $4.4 million in key infrastructure needs over the next nine years, including improvements to the building envelope, mechanical systems, plumbing systems, roofs, site projects, and more. This amount of critical physical improvements requires our district to carefully use, and save, dollars to adequately budget for these improvements. Our district’s LTFM revenue is $180,000 per year. Without additional funding, we will not be able to address our identified facility needs.

    Due to the amount of deferred maintenance needs such as fixtures and infrastructure, the old girls’ and boys’ locker rooms are outdated and underutilized. Our current outdoor athletic facilities have outdated lighting and are limited to football and track and field. Our existing event parking is also limited and needs to be expanded and improved. 

    Using voter-approved funding to address these critical facility needs will put our district in the best position to reduce stress on our LTFM plan and budget for any unforeseen improvements in the future.

  • Yes. Over the last several years, our district and facility staff have done a great job keeping our facility maintained, and have been able to make improvements as dollars allow. However, several facility and programmatic needs extend beyond our annual maintenance budgets allocated from the State of Minnesota. 

    Asking for voter-approved dollars is common across the state, more than 75% of Minnesota school districts have leveraged bond referendums to improve the conditions of their facilities. Our school’s physical facility and educational needs will continue to worsen the longer we wait to address them.

  • Enrollment has grown steadily since the 2019-2020 school year. Although we are projected to see a modest decline in enrollment, providing adequate and appropriate space for students and staff now will best position our district to educate students well for many years to come. After receiving the results from the demographics study, a previous facility option that included a four-classroom addition was reduced to a two-classroom addition, which is what is included in Question One of the building bond referendum.

  • Yes. In the last 10 years, voters in 225 Minnesota school districts have approved building bond referenda to finance construction projects to address aging facilities, expand programming, and improve safety.

questions about boTH REFERENDUM QUESTIONS

  • On or before Tuesday, November 4, residents will consider two ballot questions. 

    Question One asks residents to consider an $8.745 million building bond referendum to renovate and expand the Career and Technical Education (CTE) and agriculture shop, add two general education classrooms, renovate and expand the existing kitchen and servery area, and address deferred maintenance items, including renovating the old girls and boys locker rooms, parking lot improvements, and more. 

    Question Two asks residents to consider reducing the current authority by $200 per student and still maintain our current staff, educational programs and other services. If not approved, the School Board will use its one-time authority to continue the current levy for the next ten years. The school board is providing the opportunity for district residents to approve a lesser tax threshold.

    Both questions are non-contingent, meaning either one or both questions can pass without the approval of the other. There are two questions on the ballot. 

    Learn more about Question One’s building bond referendum by visiting our Building Bond page, and learn more about Question Two’s operating levy by visiting our Operating Levy page.

  • We are proud of our building, and how it’s seen as a community asset. If residents approve the plan, the CTE and agriculture shop expansion and renovation will expose students to possible careers sooner and they may reinvest in our communities by coming back to our district. Providing spaces for our teachers and staff to educate students well is important, and strong educational facilities attract both teachers and students. In addition, improving how we use our existing space will set our district up for long-term success. 

    Expanding and improving our kitchen and servery area will allow our staff to serve students quicker and provide additional space to monitor students safely. Finally, improving our locker rooms resets the clock on a critical deferred maintenance item with replacing fixtures and infrastructure. In addition, it will also provide adequate space for visiting teams.

  • If residents do not approve the plan, our teachers and staff will continue to teach and our students will continue to learn in inefficient and inadequate spaces, including those not originally designed for education. Although our test scores are comparable to neighboring districts, inadequate space for learning may impact our students and staff over time. Our deferred maintenance needs will continue to grow, likely cost more over time, and decrease the longevity of our building. 

  • Yes, we have been doing that. However, it’s impacting instruction and education. At that time, it was decided that operating and maintaining two facilities was not efficient or fiscally responsible. 

  • In Minnesota, voters decide whether school districts can increase property taxes to pay for the bonds used for renovating and constructing school buildings. Like a loan on a car or mortgage on a house, the bonds need to be repaid over time plus interest. 

  • Strong schools attract families, businesses and industries, which can stimulate economic growth in a community and create job opportunities. Schools often serve as a hub for community education and events, fostering a sense of belonging among residents. 

    New investments, or a lack of them, in schools and their facilities can significantly influence these impacts of schools within our communities.

  • State law requires school districts to present one facility plan per ballot question. 

  • Yes. A draft design of the plan has been developed, but school districts do not typically invest in developing detailed design plans unless voters approve the plan and authorize funding. Conceptual drawings can be viewed on our Plan Page.

  • Across Minnesota, most school districts depend on local operating levies to help fund student services and educational programs. We are grateful for our communities’ support of our current operating levy, which was approved in 2015 and is set to expire in 2026. To maintain our staff, educational programs, and services, the GHEC School Board is asking residents to consider renewing that operating levy for 10 years. If approved, those dollars would support our district’s operating budget or day-to-day-functions such as staff salaries, supplies, program costs, utilities, and routine maintenance.

    If approved, Question Two would reduce the current authority by $200 per student and still maintain our current staff, educational programs and other services. If not approved, the school board will use its one time authority to continue the current levy for the next ten years. The school board is providing the opportunity for district residents to approve a lessor tax threshold.

questions about the COST

  • Question One’s building bond referendum asks residents to consider an $8.745 million investment to improve our facility, which includes all issuing and financing costs. Question Two’s operating levy asks residents to approve a new, reduced operating levy to maintain our staff, educational programs, and services. 

    If the building bond referendum is approved by voters, this investment would be supported by a property tax increase that would take effect in 2026 and expire after 2046 or when the bonds for the project have been paid, whichever happens sooner. 

    If Question Two’s operating levy is approved, residents would see a continuation of the tax impact from the past several years. To state it simply, no change in taxes for this question. If Question Two is not approved by residents, the school board will use its authority to renew the existing operating levy at its current rate, and school-related property taxes would remain the same. Spending taxpayer dollars wisely is one of the board’s top priorities, and their decision to lower its current operating levy authority means a lower tax impact for residents. 

    Learn more by visiting our Cost Page.

  • If Question One’s building bond referendum is approved, a $200,000 residential home in the district would see an estimated tax impact of approximately $7.88 per month starting in 2026. For an agricultural homestead with an estimated market value of $10,000 per acre, the estimated tax impact would be $0.07 per acre per month ($0.83 per acre per year) starting in 2026. 

    If Question Two’s operating levy is approved, residents would see a continuation of the tax impact from the past several years. To state it simply, no change in taxes for this question.

  • The State of Minnesota’s Ag2School Tax Credit is a 70% tax credit provided to all agricultural property except the house, garage, and one acre surrounding the agricultural homestead for building bond referendums. This is not a tax deduction – it’s a dollar-for-dollar credit and is an automatic tax credit paid directly by the state with no application required. This credit would remain at 70% for the life of the bond.

    The State of Minnesota’s Ag2School Tax Credit reduces the contribution percentage for agricultural landowners to 24.45%. If approved, approximately 57.04% of the total bond building referendum’s principal and interest will be covered by the state’s 70% tax credit. The Ag2School Tax Credit does not apply for operating levies.

  • The district has worked closely with ICS, a consulting firm experienced in school construction, to ensure the project will remain on time and on budget. If approved, all revenue from the tax increase will go directly to the proposed projects. Our district cannot spend more than the amount stated on the ballot or use the funds for additional projects not included in the referendum plan.

questions about DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

  • If approved on Tuesday, November 4, the design and pre-construction phase of the project would take place from November 2025 to Spring 2026. The project bid and award phase is currently planned to take place in summer 2026, and construction would take place from fall 2026 to summer 2027. Please note that this schedule may change due to design elements, material delays, or unforeseen lead times. 

  • If the referendum passes, the district will begin the design process, led by OPN Architects and ICS. Community input is important during this process, and we will involve staff, administrators, community members, and students who will work collaboratively with the selected architect throughout the design process. Input would be asked for and encouraged to ensure the design of the renovated GHEC facility best represents the students, staff, and community who will use it.

  • If the referendum is approved, the district will work closely with the project team, teachers, and staff to carefully plan construction in phases that minimize disruptions to learning and daily routines.

    Construction activities would typically be scheduled to take place during summer months whenever possible. For work that must happen during the school year, crews would coordinate closely with school leadership to keep construction areas safely separated from student spaces with secure barriers and signage.

    The district’s top priority throughout the project would be maintaining a safe, healthy, and productive environment for students and staff. Clear communication with families, staff, and the community will help everyone know what to expect as work progresses.

    Thanks to thoughtful planning and phased construction, students would continue learning in their usual classrooms while gaining the excitement of seeing new, modern spaces take shape around them.

questions about voting

  • Election Day is Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Early/absentee voting will begin on Friday, September 19, 2025, and be available through Monday, November 3, 2025. Learn more on our Vote Page. 

  • Yes. Early/absentee voting will begin on Friday, September 19, 2025, and be available through Monday, November 3, 2025 either in person or by mail.

    Available starting Friday, September 19, through Monday, November 3, residents may vote early/absentee in person at the GHEC Public Schools District Office, located at 300 Reynolds Street, Granada, MN 56039 on weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  You will need to complete an absentee ballot application and an absentee ballot, which you can do in person or take home to complete. 

    Alternatively, to vote early/absentee by mail, complete an absentee ballot application and send it to the GHEC Public Schools District Office, located at 300 Reynolds Street, Granada, MN 56039. Absentee ballot applications can also be emailed to Kris Wilk, District Secretary, at kris.wilk@ghec.k12.mn.us. Once we receive your application, an absentee ballot will be mailed to you to complete. 

    Completed absentee ballots must be returned to the district office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day — Tuesday, November 4.

  • On Tuesday, November 4, residents can cast their vote at a combined polling location. All residents will vote in our varsity gymnasium, which is located at 300 Reynolds Street, Granada, MN 56039, and residents can enter through the activities entrance. Polls will be open from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

  • Yes, the sample ballot can be viewed here.

ADDITIONAL questions

  • Yes. Our district is committed to ensuring our residents are provided accurate, transparent, and timely information about our upcoming building bond referendum. 

    Additional resources are available on our Resources Page, including our Fast Facts Flier, our Review and Comment, our School Board Resolution, and more.

  • Residents can explore this website to learn more about the referendum. Please use our Connect Page to reach out to the district with questions or feedback.