Northfield Superintendent informs on referendum during 'State of the Schools' address

The Northfield Schools District is kicking off its sesquicentennial year off with a bang.

To adequately tell the story of how Northfield schools are faring today after being founded in 1874, Superintendent Matt Hillmann delivered an energetic “State of the Schools” address on Wednesday in front of a luncheon crowd at Ruth’s on Stafford.

Organized by the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, the luncheon presentation was sponsored by Benjamin Bus Company.

Jane Bartho, president of the Chamber, introduced Hillmann who has been educating the community about the Reimagine Northfield High School bond referendum since the effort began in earnest in March.

“We’ve been to 61 events talking about the needs of the high school since March,” he said. “Because early voting begins Sept. 20, I would estimate that we will attend 20 to 30 more events by Election Day.”

Hillmann said the education/public relations campaign process has included building tours of the aging high school, work sessions, board meetings, public meetings, paid media, family updates, direct mail and a phone survey.

The reaction so far, he explained, is that 68.7% of voters surveyed are willing to support the “sensible center” option that is estimated to cost $95.35 million for additional classroom buildings, $18.725 million for additional gyms and $6.9 million to use a geothermal/environmentally conscious building process.

Hillmann said the construction process for the 50-plus-year-old school, which sits on 40 acres, will be done in phases, so that classes will continue throughout the project, similar to how additions and wings are added without patient care disruptions to the Mayo Clinic Health System complex in Rochester.

“This will be a multi-year project,” he said. “Likely to last about three years.”

Hillmann said the conversation about the needs for an updated facility have been talked about for the last 20 years, but have only been seriously discussed in the last two years. Then he showed a photo of the high school’s roof taken with a drone that shows how the heating units were built on the ground rather than the roof. The ductwork that traverses the roof is not insulated enough, creating inconsistency in heating and cooling throughout the building, which would allow some classrooms to be heated, but others not.

Then, Hillmann clicked on a photo showing agriculture teacher TJ Austin with a student standing next to a modern piece of farm equipment. “There is more technology in today’s tractor than at the current high school, which dates back to the 1960s,” he quipped.

Hillmann said the main reasons for the reimagined facility include safety and infrastructure upgrades, replacing mechanical systems at the end of their life, plus adding natural light, flexible learning spaces and needed activity spaces.

“We want to grow beyond the cells and bells hallways of the past,” he said.

Hillmann, who has been in the public education field for over 25 years as a teacher, coach, principal and district-level leader in nearly every aspect of school administration, said more public tours of the facility are scheduled for Aug. 20 at 4 p.m., Aug. 31 at 10 a.m. and are offered until the last one on Nov. 2 at 10 a.m.

Anyone taking a school tour, which lasts approximately two hours, should enter at door 10 near the high school gymnasium and head toward the media center where all the tours begin.

To learn more about the problems the referendum aims to solves, as well as proposed solutions, the tax impact and other information, he encouraged all residents to visit the website at northfieldschools.org/reimagine .

“Our goal is to keep people informed,” he said. “We’ll continue to work really hard, keep engaging with the public until November. Then, the voters will tell us what they have decided on Nov. 5.”