Orono School District - Overview

Overview

Located in Long Lake, MN, the district serves grades pre-kindergarten to grade 12 in four different school buildings. The school district had a student population of 2,616 and 140.1 teachers during the 2005–2006 school year. The schools are located on a 120-acre (0.49 km2) campus along Old Crystal Bay Road. The district mascot is a Spartan and the school colors are navy and scarlet. The average number of instructional days the district is 167 days. The district calendar is composed of "no school" days for the Minnesota Education Association (MEA), thanksgiving break, winter break, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, spring break, Good Friday, Memorial Day and other professional days.

The district consists of four main school buildings: Orono High School, Orono Middle School, Orono Intermediate School and Schumann Elementary School. In addition to these schools, other district facilities consist of a childcare facility, a swimming pool, the Orono Ice Arena, a stadium, tennis courts, and many outdoor fields. The Orono Discovery Center is located in Maple Plain but is still considered a community center provided by the district.

The district has proposed many referendums in the past years. In 2008, a $39.4 million referendum was passed 1,845 to 1,713 which will contribute to the improvement of Schumann Elementary School, Orono Intermediate School and Orono High School. The referendum will raise taxes on a home with an estimated value of $300,000, $125 annually. The referendum money will be used for electrical and mechanical improvements, and interior and exterior improvements to these schools. Air conditioning will be implemented in the high school. Along with the passage of this referendum in 2008, seven Orono residents sued Orono Schools, stating the referendum should have been conducted by mail instead of by polling at the district’s main office. The suit was dismissed by a Hennepin County District Court judge.