Consolidation of Forest Lake and Forest View Elementary Schools

Teachers from both Forest Lake and Forest View will likely continue teaching the same grade levels in the one unified building. Other staff like paras, lunchroom staff and janitorial staff will have the opportunity to move into other open positions within the district.

There are enough classrooms within the Forest View Elementary building to continue to operate the same number of PreK-5th grade class sections as there are today at Forest View and Forest Lake Elementary. Class sizes and the number of sections in each grade are always based on current enrollment, so class numbers and sizes could change slightly from year to year.

The district did a thorough space analysis with our building contractors prior to presenting the school board proposal. Forest View Elementary has more readily usable classroom space. There are currently four unused classrooms in that building, as well as other classroom spaces, currently being used for other purposes, that can be returned to use as a classroom.

The school district will not rush into plans to repurpose, rent or sell the building, which means it will likely sit empty for at least a year. However, the major costs involved with operating a school are from the staff and the utilities like heat and water. The building will continue to be maintained and heated at a sustaining level, but we will still see significant cost savings from reduced staff and utility costs. 

Our first priority is our students and their wellbeing and success. However, school funding is tied to the numbers of students that we serve in our school. When there are less students, there is less funding available and difficult financial choices must be made. The money saved by consolidating the two schools will be used to prevent cuts to staff and services for students. Unlike a private company, there are no profits to be made, so funding (and the efficient use of limited resources) has a direct impact on the quality of education for students.

Our district is experiencing steadily declining enrollment due to lower numbers of school-age children living in the district. Since school funding is tied to the numbers of students served, we have less funding each year that enrollment decreases. The efficiencies and savings gained by closing Forest Lake Elementary will be used to prevent cuts to staff and services for students.

Just as we do with students in two separate buildings, we will continue to hire and maintain staff in the one consolidated building as needed to help support the needs of our students.