A community design team is recommending that the Stillwater School Board replace Lake Elmo Elementary with a new building, construct another new elementary school in the southern portion of the district and expand Brookview Elementary School in Woodbury.
The team also is recommending that the former Oak Park Elementary School become a multi-purpose center for the school district’s administrative offices, the St. Croix Valley Area Learning Center and the Transitions program, which provides opportunities for students with disabilities, ages 18-21.
The district decided to close Oak Park in 2016 — along with Marine and Withrow elementaries — to save money and use its resources more efficiently; the decision angered many parents who challenged the decision all the way to the state Court of Appeals.
The design team, made up of about 65 people from the district, presented its long-range planning recommendations to the school board on Thursday night.
The board is expected to consider the recommendations as it works to develop a possible bond request for voters in 2021, said Carissa Keister, school district spokeswoman.
Keister said the team developed its recommendation “to address growth in the district and ensure all students have access to equitable, 21st-century learning spaces.”
Most of the district’s growth is expected in the southern part of the district, in particular, the Lake Elmo and Woodbury areas.