The Bloomington Public Schools board met Monday, Sept. 28, and its biggest move was to undo a cut. Board members rescinded a $5 million budget reduction they had already approved for the 2027-28 school year.
The money problems aren't over, though. The district said it has made $13.4 million in reductions over the past 3 years to deal with its finances, and it still expects more cuts for 2028-29 and 2029-30. So the plan is to skip a cut next year, not to stop cutting. The district has posted the agenda, the meeting materials and a recording of the meeting for anyone who wants the full version.
The board also hired Carleton Companies Inc. of Mankato to demolish Southwood Center and Bloomington Stadium, and it wants the work done by Nov. 13. Neither teardown is a surprise. Bloomington Stadium, at 8900 Queen Ave. S., served the city's student athletes for more than 50 years and hosted state high school track meets. It closed in 2025 after Jefferson and Kennedy opened stadiums on their own campuses. The board had already endorsed demolition as a way to draw more interest and a better price when the land is sold, and the stadium opened to the public one last time on June 24 for a 2-hour farewell.
The Pond Center at 9600 3rd Ave. S. is going the other way: it's being fixed up instead of torn down. The board hired H+U Construction to manage renovations there as part of the deal to lease the building to Intermediate District 917. The board approved that lease on Aug. 24. It runs 10 years starting Aug. 1, 2027, with rent of $52,756 a month in the first year, rising to $65,010 by year 10. ISD 917 plans to move its Cedar School from Eagan into the building. Cedar serves students who need more support, including students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, and the Pond building can hold up to 120 students depending on staffing. "A lot of the students that would be going to this building would be Bloomington students," district finance director Rod Zivkovich said.
The rest of the agenda covered smaller items. The board updated pay rates for reserve classified employees, the first change to those rates since 2010. It also reaffirmed Mall of America as the venue for the joint Jefferson and Kennedy prom on May 7, 2027. Last spring's prom was held at the mall's Parkview Event Center and Nickelodeon Universe, and the $40 ticket covered rides and Flyover America.
The board also swore in 2 new student representatives: Elsa Ackerman, a Jefferson senior, and Xachary Chappelle, a Kennedy senior.
