Our students and community deserve school buildings that are safe and more secure.

One of the most critical elements of safe schools is the ability to provide facilities that are responsive to safety and security needs. Safety and security features that were common when our schools were built 50-70 years ago are no longer sufficient. The world we live in today requires current best practices and up-to-date technology to help ensure safe and secure learning and working environments. 

Bond-financed improvements include:

Secure entrances

Secure entrances at both Grandview Middle School and Mound Westonka High School will increase supervision capabilities and provide better control over who accesses the buildings. (Shirley Hills and Hilltop primary schools received secure entrances through the 2011 voter-approved bond referendum.)

• Grandview is the only school building where the office is not located by a secure entrance to control access during the school day. Grandview's main entrance will be relocated to the front of the building.
• The high school’s main entrance will be redesigned so it can securely accommodate the large volume of students coming in and out each day, and the north entrance will be redesigned to be a more prominent entry point for activities outside the school day.

Lockdown capacity

All Westonka school buildings will gain a centralized lockdown function that, at the press of a button, will immediately secure doors and hallways and limit access by an intruder. Students and staff will be able to escape the building but intruders will be restricted from coming in.

Every school will have notification lights to signal that a lockdown has been implemented, reducing reliance on intercom communications.  

Limiting building access during evenings and weekends

Every school in the district will be able to isolate specific areas within each building, providing public access only where it’s needed for night and weekend activities. 

Hardened glass

In every school districtwide, hardened glass will be installed in main entrance areas and other select areas to help prevent unauthorized access.

Door alerts

In every school, alarms and strobes will activate when a locked door has been propped open or not fully closed.

District facilities have served generations of Westonka students. They require maintenance to core mechanical systems, equipment, and fixtures to serve the next generation.

Our oldest school (Shirley Hills) is more than 70 years old and the newest (Mound Westonka High School) is more than 50 years old. The high school, which receives the most school and community use, has the most significant deferred maintenance needs. Those projects will be wrapped into work to redesign the building to enhance learning spaces and improve functionality, safety and pride. 

Some of the bond-funded deferred maintenance plans include (see full list of planned projects):

• Replace piping for water and sewer at every school.
• Replace the boilers at Hilltop and MWHS.
• Replace or add air handling units at Hilltop, Grandview and MWHS.
• Upgrade the electrical system at Hilltop, MWHS and the transportation building.
• Replace remaining original (1964) windows at Hilltop and add dehumidification in the Hilltop gym.
• Replace the MWHS gym roof.
• Replace the high school track and tennis courts due to their deteriorating sub-base (contractors will no longer warranty their work because of the poor condition of the sub-base).

The redesign of Mound Westonka High School is being prioritized as it has the greatest need and impact in our community.

Education has changed considerably since the last comprehensive improvements to the educational wings in the high school were made 30 years ago. In addition to serving 8th-12th graders during the day, the building supports programs for all ages before and after school, on weekends, and throughout the summer. In an environment of school choice, updating the design and expanding opportunities at MWHS will serve our community well.

The high school redesign will include renovations to the entire building with the exception of recently renovated spaces (business education classrooms, the Transition Plus program, locker rooms), as well as added square footage. View a graphic of the plan for MWHS building renovations and additions (PDF).

Enhance security of building entrances

• Redesign the main (courtyard) entrance so it can securely accommodate the large volume of students coming in and out each day.
• Redesign the north entrance to be a more prominent entry point for activities outside the school day.

Improve student academic and support spaces

• Enlarge undersized general education classrooms, allowing for more collaborative learning and flexible groupings and making the spaces work better for current needs.
• Enlarge special education classrooms to accommodate growth and program needs.
• Improve mental health and other student services by consolidating them in a new and appropriately private area.

Expand vocational opportunities

• Expand vocational options to include machining and nursing/emergency response programs, and a carpentry extension to our current woods program. Increasing vocational options will provide more career opportunities for students and a trained workforce for local businesses.

Enlarge spaces to accommodate high levels of use

• Enlarge the cafeteria and weight training areas, both of which currently spill into hallways.
• Provide additional parking to improve the daily experience for students, staff and visitors.

Reconstruct, relocate or expand certain facilities to accommodate program growth

• Reconstruct the track for longevity and install a synthetic turf field inside the track that will increase durability, extend the playing season, and allow for extensive use.
• Create a stadium surrounding the track that will serve track, soccer, lacrosse, and football. This will include bleachers, lights, scoreboard, storage and a press box so Westonka can safely host varsity and section competitions. These improvements will also provide a better experience for spectators, along with access to indoor concessions and bathrooms at Thaler Center.
• Remove the 1980s tennis courts, which will allow for parking lot expansion. Build 12 tennis courts in a new location to accommodate program growth; the courts will also be lined for pickleball to support community interest.
• Reconstruct JV Baseball Field 10 to rebuild the infield, regrade the outfield, and install an irrigation system and appropriate backstop.
• Add parking to provide more convenient access to activities spaces (reference map linked below).

View a graphic of the plan for updated high school activities spaces (PDF). 

MWHS redesign: Why now?

The needs of our learners, along with safety standards, have changed greatly since Mound Westonka High School was built (1971) and subsequently partially remodeled (1993). Schools used to be designed with fairly austere classrooms where all desks faced forward and students mostly worked alone. Today's classrooms require larger flexible spaces where students can work collaboratively—much like the work environments they'll find as adults.

Students with special needs were guaranteed a free and appropriate public education in 1975—four years after the high school was built. From 1996 to 2022, the number of Westonka students receiving special education services increased by 33% (from 357 to 476). Within that group, the number of students receiving services for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) increased by 690% (from 10 to 79).

In 1972 (a year after MWHS opened), Congress enacted Title IX, the federal law that ensures that male and female students in educational settings are treated equally and fairly. It had a significant impact in terms of expanding programs (especially athletics) to ensure access for both females and males.

When it was built in 1971, Mound Westonka High School was intentionally designed to allow potential future redesign.

Facilities Bond Investment

This table shows the financial investment associated with each part of the facilities bond referendum request.

View pre-referendum planning budgets and conceptual diagrams (PDF). 

Estimated Tax Impact

View a detailed estimated tax chart (PDF) for the first year of the facilities bond (projected 25-year payment period), or use the online tax calculator for your specific property. To view tax information in an ADA accessible format, please email Becca Neuger.

Use the Tax Calculator