'It's Nice To Move Forward': Worthington Schools Plan For Construction After Voters Approve $34M Referendum

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Worthington is ready to move forward after getting the green light from voters to alleviate crowded classrooms.

The referendum took six years to pass in the southwest Minnesota city, which is dealing with a rapidly-growing immigrant population.

This small city's struggles with immigration issues made national news as again the school district asked for more space at the ballot box last week. Only this time, voters approved the plan.

"It's nice to move forward instead of having to back up and start over," said Worthington superintendent John Landgaard.

READ MORE: Worthington Boasts Among State's Highest Concentrations Of Spanish-Speaking Residents

It's a different drill for Worthington's superintendent this fall, as the district now pushes forward with more room for students at a new intermediate school.

"Hallways and remodeled closets are not necessarily areas designed for that. We want to get away from that," Landgaard said.

We saw some of those space issues for ourselves last month as the school district has grown by at least 100 students a year for the last decade.

The growth is attributed to a dramatic rise in immigrant families moving to Worthington for work at a local meat packing plant: From 34% of the student body to now nearly 75% in Landgaard's 17 years as superintendent.

"It helped spur a lot of conversations," Landgaard said.

He believes a controversial Washington Post profile may have helped to push voters to approve the $34-million plan. And an agriculture tax credit will provide some relief for farmers forced to foot a larger property tax bill to pay for the added space.

"I think any time you get people active and involved, that's going to make the difference for any bond referendum," Landgaard said.

The city will now be up against other districts to bid on school projects, as most referendums on the ballot last week passed statewide.

Construction planning is now a top priority, as a new building for third, fourth and fifth graders is scheduled to open two school years from now.