In a letter to staff and families in the district, Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools superintendent Michael Thomas laid out a series of building closures designed to balance the district’s budget amid rising costs and a failed levy vote.
WestWood Elementary, located at 5370 Westwood Drive Southeast, would be closed as a neighborhood school beginning the 2026-27 school year. La ola del lago, the school district’s kindergarten-5th grade Spanish immersion program, would move into the WestWood building. The District Services Center building at 4540 Tower Street Southeast would be sold, with the staff at that building moving to La ola del lago’s current home at the Grainwood building at 5061 Minnesota Street Southeast.
Thomas emphasized in his letter that there are no changes for any of the affected schools or buildings for the 2025-26 school year.
“While we have been open about our financial realities and the possibility of closing a school, we understand that learning these specific details may be upsetting, especially for families and staff who have built strong connections in the communities directly affected,” Thomas wrote.
The proposed building closings and program relocations will go before the PLSAS school board at its May 19 study session. Thomas said the district is still working through many details of the arrangement, including elementary school boundary changes.
The school board reached a consensus on $4.1 million in budget cuts for the 2025-26 school year, and the district forecasts similar cuts to be needed for the following year.
The changes are necessary for a number of reasons, Thomas said in his letter. The state’s funding formula has not kept pace with inflation, and some state mandates are not fully funded. Thomas also pointed to declining birth rates slowing student enrollment growth and the failed 2024 levy vote as factors.
“I thank you in advance for your patience, perspectives and understanding,” Thomas wrote in closing. “Please know we remain committed to ensuring the best possible outcomes and experiences in PLSAS as we work through the challenging decisions ahead.”
Those with questions or feedback are invited by the district to email input@plasas.org.
