By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - April 15, 2025


Cook County School District 166 is seeking public input about a possible bond referendum on the November 4, 2025, ballot. In November 2024, voters had an opportunity to vote yes or no to approve or reject a three-question ballot referendum for ISD 166 Cook County Schools. Out of that election, voters approved Question 1, which will allow the school district to upgrade preK-12 facilities, add an additional gymnasium and common areas, and complete deferred maintenance. However, Question 2, which was contingent on the passage of Question 1, failed by 170 votes. Consequently, Question 3, which required the approval of Question 2, also failed by 489 votes. 

Now, the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) has expressed interest in providing a $7 million matching grant to fund approximately half the cost of improvements from Questions 2 and 3 that were not approved. The other half would need to be contingent upon local residents supporting a new bond referendum to cover the cost. According to the district, the monthly tax impact on the owner of a $400,000 home (the approximate median value) would be $4 per month, versus $11 a month under the 2024 referendum. 

According to the district, improvements and upgrades to school grounds, arts and athletic areas, an artificial turf field, a running track, updated theater equipment and seating, and an additional gymnasium for physical education, athletics, and community recreation are under consideration. 

The cost for Questions 2 and 3, as proposed for the 2024 bond referendum, totaled $12.61 million. When asked if $14 million would cover the costs for the proposed improvements and upgrades, Lindholm said, "The cost will have gone up a bit from 2024 due to inflation so $14 million ($7 from IRRRB and a $7 million bond referendum) will be close to enough to cover everything. Like any project, you don't really know until you dig in. Fortunately, the bond sales for what passed in 2024 went very well, so interest earnings should help quite a bit with the budget."

If the referendum doesn't pass, the district will not receive the $7 million matching grant from the IRRRB. 

Assessing Needs
To determine what improvements and additions were needed, the district began an assessment process in 2023, which included working with the Minnesota Department of Education and other entities like ICS (a consultant that works with Minnesota schools to improve physical spaces).

In early 2024, the school board approved hiring DSGW Architecture, a Minnesota firm specializing in "hand-crafting healthcare, education, commercial, and Indigenous architecture," according to its website. DSGW helped identify solutions for facility improvements in conjunction with ISD 166 and ICS.

The results from these assessments were presented at nine public community input sessions and in meetings with school staff, teachers, students, and others, all of whom had the opportunity to provide feedback on what items to prioritize. At a June 6th, 2024, meeting, the Cook County School Board unanimously voted to move forward with the referendum for the November 2024 ballot. 

When the bond referendum was proposed last year, some residents had concerns regarding the necessity of such improvements. Some common comments included that the upgrades were too "athletic heavy." In an interview with Lindholm in October 2024, he told Boreal Community Media that 50-60% of ISD 166 students participate in some sort of recreational activity through the school, which was backed up by data collected by the Minnesota Department of Education. 

Due to the limited space and lack of amenities, the district utilizes the Cook County YMCA gym for three sports seasons. According to Lindolm, during the 2024 interview, even with this extra space, games and practices must be staggered, which leads to an additional issue: the kids who have to wait until their start time have nowhere to go. As an example, Lindholm shared that sometimes, there may be a game going on in both the school and YMCA gyms until 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm. Once the games are over, practice can start for a different team/sport. "Where are kids from Grand Portage, the end of the Gunflint, or Schroeder supposed to go?" Lindholm asked. 

(To read more about the breakdown of the bond referendum from 2024, including some common concerns of comments residents raised at that time, click here.)

Next Steps
Cook County ISD 166 Superintendent Chris Lindholm told Boreal Community Media that the school board is in talks about including the new bond referendum on the November 2025 ballot. If the board moves forward with including it, it is not clear at this time if it will be combined as one question or stay split up as two, like in 2024. To help inform their decision, the district has issued a survey, which can be found here. "The board will need to make a decision by June to get a November ballot prepared," he said.

The deadline to take the survey is Thursday, April 24.