Maple River Schools approved to build a new school through a $63.3 million bond

MAPLETON, Minn. (KEYC) — After four tries, beginning in 2009, a new school building has become a reality for the Maple River School District.

The south side of the town will soon feature a pre-k through 12th grade school.

The school district reports a 10 vote margin, with a total 1,036 votes in favor of the referendum that calls for a $63.3 million bond to build the school.

“The winners in this whole situation are the kids that attend Maple River and the future kids to attend Maple River,” Maple River Schools Superintendent Dan Anderson said.

State lawmakers recently passed the Ag-2-School Tax Credit, which will increase tax credits on school bonds by 70-percent over the next three years in Minnesota, making the vote for the project much more appealing to the community.

"It's a great assistance for rural communities, it really helps offset the financials," Anderson said.

Supporters said there was a definite urgency for a new school building.

“We educate differently than 20 to 30 years ago and I think people will be surprised in what has changed in schools,” Anderson said.

The issues with the current building ranges from the construction of the building to the operation.

“Part of our building is 90 years old and it just needs to be replaced,” Anderson added. “We are spread out in three different facilities where we have to duplicate staffing and duplicate materials for our kids, which is more costly."

The community can now move forward from the long grueling process and start planning.

Once the purchase of the land is made official, the designing of the building to fit the current needs of the kids will begin.

The 2022 to 2023 school year is when the project is slated to be “move-in ready” and will be the first chance at seeing the result of the investment into the community.

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