A district in suburban Minneapolis has proposed a school bond referendum that would be the largest in state history.
KSTP-TV reports that the White Bear Lake Area School Board has voted to place a $326 million referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot.
If it is approved, it would be the largest school referendum in Minnesota history, according to the Minnesota School Board Association.
The school district, which has about 8,600 students, says enrollment is expected to grow over the next decade. The requested bond funds would pay for expanding the North Campus High School and building a new elementary school in Hugo to accommodate the growth.
White Bear Lake Area School District Superintendent Wayne Kazmierczak says the plan envisions purchasing homes near the high school to make room for the expansion.
"We do not intend to use eminent domain and we will not take anyone's home from them," Kazmierczak says. "If people want to talk to us about selling property that sits next to school district property, we would like to talk with them."
Kazmierczak says the district has not disclosed any maps of the homes it is interested in buying, but residents say the district has told them it would be between 21 and 30 homes.
