School Board Meeting - July 7, 2026

The Rochester Public Schools ISD535 held a regular school board meeting on July 7, 2026, focusing significantly on technology and facilities planning. A major portion of the meeting was dedicated to presenting and discussing the district's first long-range technology plan, which outlines strategic goals for infrastructure, IT service management, classroom technology, and technology support for learning over the next three to five years. The plan emphasized maintaining and upgrading technology infrastructure, improving IT service response times, managing device costs and repair, and addressing emerging issues such as artificial intelligence guidelines and screen time policies. Funding for technology initiatives primarily comes from the district's lease levy and certificates of participation, with a total technology cost center budget of approximately $7.7 million. Additionally, the board reviewed the long-term facilities maintenance (LTFM) plan, which includes nearly $40 million in planned projects for fiscal year 2027 and a total of about $53 million in future projects funded through a combination of pay-as-you-go levies, state aid, and bond issuance. The LTFM plan aims to maintain facilities with a flat tax rate impact, leveraging new software to better assess and manage building conditions. The board also discussed policy updates related to election procedures and planned to take action on the LTFM plan and other items at upcoming meetings. Overall, the meeting highlighted significant procurement and budget planning activities related to technology infrastructure and facilities maintenance within the school district.