School Board hears first round of facility options as part of Reimagine Rdale and SOD planning

District administration has presented the first round of facility options to the Robbinsdale Area Schools (Rdale) Board of Education as part of the ongoing Reimagine Rdale: Vision 2030 process and the district’s statutory operating debt (SOD) plan to restore long-term financial stability.

During the Oct. 20 board meeting (agenda | watch), administration outlined two initial options for potential building closures and consolidations beginning in the 2026-27 school year. The proposals are part of Phase I of the district’s five-phase plan to right-size facilities, improve efficiency, and ensure sustainability through 2030.

The Phase I recommendation calls for reducing the district’s overall building footprint and aligning facility use with enrollment and program needs. This includes reducing the number of non-magnet elementary schools to five or six and the number of non-magnet middle schools to one or two. It also proposes removing Robbinsdale Middle School (RMS) from the district’s portfolio due to significant facility concerns, closing the current Educational Service Center (ESC) and relocating administrative offices elsewhere, and moving Community Education offices to the Crystal Learning Center, where the district will continue its lease through 2030.

Option 1: Lakeview repurposed as district hub; Robbinsdale Middle School, ESC, and one elementary to close

The first option would repurpose Lakeview Elementary School as a new central campus for district programs and administrative offices, while Robbinsdale Middle School (RMS), the Educational Service Center (ESC), and one additional elementary school would close.

• Lakeview’s students would be reassigned to Northport and Noble Elementary Schools.
• Either Neill or Sonnesyn Elementary Schools would close, with students absorbed by the other school. 
  • Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion (RSI) could also relocate into one of those buildings due to facility issues at its current site.
• Robbinsdale Academy-Highview would relocate from the Sandburg Middle School campus to Lakeview.
• Robbinsdale Virtual Academy (RVA) would move to Armstrong High School.
• Administrative offices currently housed at the ESC would relocate to Lakeview.
• RMS would close due to extensive facility needs, with students moving to Sandburg, which would gain classroom space following the Highview and RVA moves.
• Community Education would relocate its offices to the Crystal Learning Center, where the district will continue leasing space through 2030.

Under this scenario, RMS, the ESC, and either Neill, Sonnesyn, or RSI would go offline, with Lakeview serving as a multi-use administrative and program hub.

Option 2: Noble repurposed as district hub; RMS, ESC, and RSI facilities to close

The second option centers on repurposing Noble Elementary School as the district’s new hub, while closing the RMS, ESC, and RSI buildings.

• Noble’s current students would be reassigned to Lakeview and Sonnesyn Elementary Schools.
• RSI would move into Neill Elementary due to facility issues at its current site, and Neill’s students would join Sonnesyn.
• Robbinsdale Academy–Highview would relocate to the Noble campus.
• RVA would move to Armstrong High School.
• The ESC would close, with district offices relocating to Noble.
• RMS would close due to extensive facility needs, with students attending Sandburg.
• Community Education offices would move to the Crystal Learning Center.

In this option, RMS, the ESC, and the RSI facility would go offline, with Noble becoming a repurposed district site housing both program and administrative operations.

Moving forward

The district’s planning timeline remains on track. As outlined in September, the plan has called for sharing initial options with the School Board on Oct. 20, followed by updated options on Nov. 3. Final consolidation decisions are expected on Nov. 24, with public input and final approval scheduled for Dec. 8. 

Options presented to date are based on a range of factors, including building condition, capacity and utilization, location, operational costs, enrollment, and long-term sustainability, regardless of whether a future bond referendum is passed.

The options presented are just that: options. No decisions have been made and this first phase is focused on reducing the district’s footprint in facilities. Rdale currently operates more building space than needed, and aligning that space with enrollment is a major financial and operational component of the SOD plan. While staffing efficiencies are anticipated, most staff would continue to serve students who move to new locations.

The district must submit its official SOD plan to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) by Jan. 31, 2026.

For background and updates on the Reimagine Rdale process, visit rdale.org/vision2030.