Q&A

The school district is proposing a change that will change the grade-span of its elementary schools and middle school. Currently, the elementary schools are K-4 schools and the middle school is a grades 5-8 school. The proposed grade span change will move 5^th grade to elementary schools so that the elementary schools will be K-5 schools and the middle school will be a grades 6-8 school.

• Age and maturity of 9-year old 4^th grade students before they enter secondary school
• Social emotional development of our 4^th grade students
• Giving our 9-year old 4^th grade students an extra year in elementary school to learn and grow with peers of similar maturity before joining middle school
• Parents/guardians of our elementary school students have asked for this change and overwhelmingly support its implementation

In order to have the 5^th grade at the elementary schools, the district will need to add a total of eight classrooms (four classrooms at each elementary schools), expand cafeteria space and add student bathrooms at each elementary school.

If passed, the levy will cost $28 a year or $2.33 for a home with an average value of $250,000. Click here to enter your home value into the Tax Calculator.

If passed, the levy will generate $11 million to support the addition of classrooms at each elementary school.

No. This is a capital bond referendum will be used to build classrooms at the elementary schools for our 5^th grade class, add bathrooms for students, and expanding the communal spaces such as the cafeteria.

If approved, construction of classrooms will begin in the spring/summer of 2022.  Our 5^th grade students will be officially housed at the elementary schools in the fall of 2023.

This is a non-renewable one-time levy that will be applicable for 17 years. 

In 1995, the elementary schools were full and 5th grade was moved from the elementary schools to the middle school which had more space. The 2021 grade span change is not due to space issues. It is due to requests from elementary school parents during the past few years, who want their 10-year-old students to benefit from an extra year at the elementary schools before going to middle school.

The Fridley Community Center (FCC) does not currently have a full scale kitchen to prepare meals for students, a cafeteria for students to eat in, and adequate bathroom for increased number of students. Adding a new kitchen, a new cafeteria, and building additional bathrooms would cost more than the proposed referendum.

As the first and only school district that provides the magnet International Baccalaureate (IB) programs to all students from Preschool to 12th grade, many students seek to enroll in Fridley Public Schools to take advantage of the district’s rigorous IB programs. Fridley, and most school districts in Minnesota, participates in open enrollment which is a state statute that allows Minnesota students to take advantage of unique programs and opportunities in schools outside their home school district.

Along with Anoka-Hennepin, Osseo, Rockford, Elk River, Brooklyn Center and Buffalo Hanover Montrose school districts, Fridley is also a member of the Northwest Suburban Integration School District where the seven member schools exchange students through their magnet programs.

Yes. Fridley Public Schools is located in the center of the City of Fridley. There are portions of three other school districts within the City of Fridley: Anoka-Hennepin, Columbia Heights and Spring Lake Park school districts. Families enrolled from these three school districts are taxpaying City of Fridley residents but due to school boundaries, are considered open enrolled when they choose to enroll in Fridley schools.

The space would be used to expand the district’s top rated 4-Star Parent Aware-rated high quality school-aged childcare (before and after school care) for elementary and middle school students. 

You can visit the main page of our website at www.fridleyschools.org/levy2021; call our finance office at 763-502-5004, or email levy2021@fridley.k12.mn.us.