New High School

Do students need parking permits?
No permits are needed to park at the new high school. During the school day, the front section of the parking lot is available for staff and visitors. That section is marked with signs.

Are students able to use the elevators?
The policy is similar to the one at Owatonna Middle School, where students and staff with accessibility needs are able to use the elevators.

What type of bathrooms are available?
As in the former OHS building, gender-specific bathrooms for males and for females plus all-user individual bathrooms are available.

Does all of the glass in the building create safety concerns?
The safety and security of our students and staff are of utmost importance to us. There are challenges with using glass but there are also many benefits, including the ability to have better vision and supervision. We have security procedures in place which we do not publicize, as is best practice for safety plans.

What happened to the Owatonna High School Museum?
Inside the new high school and future district office are display areas for historical items. The OHS Museum committee helped create areas that work for their collection, and they determine what is placed in those areas to tell the story of Owatonna High School. Find the main display cases in the Foundation Room, outside the Harry Wenger Music Suite, and outside the Wenger Performing Arts Auditorium.

Will the indoor track be open to the public for walking?
Yes! Find details and register for the walking track. One lap is 771 feet.

How are the physical education locker rooms set up?
Physical education lockers are available to all students in PE courses and are accessible at all times in an open locker area. Students have access to locker rooms for changing as well as individual changing rooms. The boys' locker room has a changing room, bathrooms and showers for boys; the girls' locker room has a changing room, bathrooms and showers for girls.

Is the stadium handicap accessible?
Yes, there is a ramp located at the midpoint of the bleachers on the west side of the field. There are spots for wheelchairs at the top of the ramp.

Are any parts of the former OHS building used in the new high school?
The two lamp posts in front of the former building - one donated by the class of 1920 and one donated by the class of 1921 - are located in front of the Foundation Room on the stadium plaza. The plan is also for the OHS crest at the top of the front of the current high school to be removed and refurbished and brought to the new high school.

What happened to the furniture and other items at the former Owatonna High School?

• Many items are in use at the new high school.

• Principals from other schools in the district had the opportunity to request items for use at their school.

• Other school districts in the area requested items for use in their buildings.

• Owatonna Early Edition Rotary raised funds to pay for a shipping container of furniture for five rural schools in the Mount Kilimanjaro area of Tanzania.

• The public had an opportunity to bid on any remaining items during a public auction.

What are the start/end times for schools?
Grades K-5: 8:10 am - 2:40 pm
Grades 6-8: 7:50 am - 2:20 pm
Grades 9-12: 8:20 am - 2:50 pm

What parts of the former Owatonna High School will be repurposed?
The C Plaza, which is the northwest corner of the former high school, is being repurposed to serve as the district office and central enrollment center. The gymnasium and locker rooms will be used for our gymnastics program. The ag building will become the district maintenance shop. The plan is for these spaces to open in the summer of 2024.

If you have a question that is not answered here, please submit it for consideration to lbuegler@isd761.org.

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To look back on the building process of the new high school, please visit the construction website.

Owatonna Public Schools hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the new high school on Thursday, May 6. The event included remarks by Superintendent Jeff Elstad, School Board Chair Mark Sebring, High School Principal Kory Kath, and Owatonna Education Association President and teacher Todd Andrix. Many community partners, staff, students and planning committee members were present to participate in a shovel ceremony.

Participating community partners included representatives from the local business that expressed their commitment to Owatonna and the need to attract and retain quality employees through their combined financial gifts of $22 million plus in-kind donations. The tax impact for the Owatonna community was reduced by 20% thanks to the generosity of business donations from Federated Insurance, Mayo Clinic Health System, Viracon, Wenger Corporation, Wenger Foundation, and Gopher Sport.

After the community approved the construction of a new high school, other organizations stepped forward offering support. The ISD 761 Foundation and Owatonna Foundation each donated $250,000 to Owatonna Public Schools to construct a large community room within the new high school. And Cybex / Life Fitness has offered support for the weight and fitness room.

Staff and students of Owatonna Public Schools continue to be grateful for the community’s partnership and support for the school district and the new high school facility.

In November 2019, the community voted to build a new high school and to allocate $8M toward repurposing the current high school campus for school district and/or community needs. 

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May 8, 2023
Wold Architects shared this presentation at the School Board Work Session, including timeline and plans for the former high school.

April 24, 2023
The School Board unanimously approved the Existing OHS Citizens' Task Force recommendation (below) regarding the high school.

April 10, 2023
The Existing OHS Citizens' Task Force made their recommendation to the School Board. The recommendation as stated in the March 16 task force minutes (page 6, item 2):
"The Task Force is recommending to the School Board to cease negotiations with FOHS and proceed with the District’s project on their own timeline. The project should demolish the portions of the building that will not be used by the District and retain the green space. The Task Force suggests the School Board evaluate any future uses of the property with the Task Force’s criteria outlined in previous recommendations on how to use the property to best serve the School District and the Community."

March 16, 2023
Former OHS, LLC (FOHS) presented their proposal to the Existing OHS Citizens' Task Force on March 16, 2023. Read the minutes from the March 16 task force meeting. The Existing OHS Citizens' Task Force learned about the proposal submitted by Former OHS, LLC and used their guiding principles to review it. They provided a list of follow-up questions to FOHS, LLC, and will reconvene after FOHS, LLC, supplies additional information.

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Existing OHS Citizens' Task Force Recommendation

On April 11, 2022, the existing OHS citizens' task force presented its recommendation at the school board work session. The task force recommends that the District:

• own and operate the C plaza, gymnasium/locker room spaces, and VoAg building, as well as support spaces such as parking to support functions currently housed at 515 W Bridge Street and 115 E Rose Street.

• enter into a Development Agreement with Paul Warshauer of Grande Venues / Former Owatonna High School (FOHS) LLC to explore potential redevelopment of the remainder of the building/complex as outlined in the proposal dated March 9, 2022.

• provide regular updates to the task force as the process with Paul Warshauer of Grande Venues / FOHS (Former Owatonna High School) LLC progresses.

• call the task force back to action when more information is available (anticipated to be near the end of the 180-day time period requested from the developer) before final decisions are made by the School Board.

Click here to view the full slides presentation. Read the press release.

The school board approved the task force recommendation at the school board meeting on Monday, April 25. Watch the meeting video.

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Request for Preliminary Proposals

The Existing OHS Citizens’ Task Force issued a Request for Preliminary Proposals from developers to gauge interest from serious developers. Click here to read the full Request for Preliminary Proposals.

More information: Existing OHS RFPP Appendices

Proposals were due February 28, 2022.

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Existing Owatonna High School Citizens' Task Force

The Existing Owatonna High School Citizens' Task Force was convened to examine the future of the existing Owatonna High School facility, which will no longer be used for 9-12 instruction when the new high school opens in 2023. As a part of the November 2019 Bond Referendum, the community voted to approve question #2 which allocated funds for the conversion of portions of the building for District use. As a part of this funding request, the District committed to engaging the community about the future of the facility, and this Existing OHS Citizens’ Task Force is a part of that process.

Task Force Members

Thank you to everyone who applied to be a part of this task force! Nearly 60 applications were received and 25 people have been chosen to represent a broad cross-section of the community. 

Meeting Dates:

• Meeting #1: Tuesday, November 9, 2021 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Reviewed the purpose of the task force and became acquainted with everyone who is participating
  • Had increased focus on direction and goals
  • Considered input from the broader community via the ideas submitted for the existing OHS via the Engage Owatonna website platform
  • Learned more about the existing building and needs
  • Completed grounding work to start off on a solid base
• Meeting #2: Thursday, November 18, 2021 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Toured the existing high school. The tour showed why we are building a new school and helped to understand what deficiencies there are with the building and how that will affect the potential solutions.
  • The task force now has background information about the existing building and can focus on coming up with solutions.
  • This is not a small task. This is a difficult decision and everyone is working hard on it.
• Meeting #3: Thursday, December 2, 2021 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • The group explained that they have heard that the District has several needs and are debating if the reuse of this site is the best place to fulfill them.
  • The group explained that they are not taking the task lightly.
  • The group explained that there are conflicted feelings about how the District using portions of the site and building could affect potential partners.
• Meeting #4: Wednesday, December 15, 2021 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Canceled due to forecasted weather)
• Meeting #5: Thursday, January 6, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Clarified the language of the ballot referendum language and what is possible.
  • The group clarified the need for the district to use parts of the building.
  • The group discussed the opportunity for the use of the rest of the building and/or site to be put out for offers to developers.
  • An offer from a developer could change the outlook on what happens to the site.
• Meeting #6: Wednesday, January 19, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Canceled - will be rescheduled soon)
• Meeting: Tuesday, March 22, 2022 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Prepare for School Board recommendation

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Community Input

Owatonna Public Schools received input from the community to help write the next chapter for the current high school campus. Engage Owatonna offered the District a platform to gather ideas from community members to help decide how the current Owatonna High School property will be used and supported. District administration collected ideas and prioritized them and the Existing Owatonna High School Citizens' Task Force reviewed all data and options.

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Please contact Superintendent Jeff Elstad with any questions at (507) 444-8601 or via email at jelstad@isd761.org.

The Owatonna Public School District is pleased to announce that another local business, Home Federal Savings Bank, has joined many other local businesses in support of the new high school for Owatonna. 

Home Federal Savings Bank will donate $50,000 to be used toward the new high school, demonstrating their continued support of the Owatonna Public Schools and the community of Owatonna.  In addition, Home Federal Savings Bank will be placing two ATM machines in the new high school at no expense to the district.

 "We are committed to giving back to our communities and are proud to support the Owatonna Public Schools.  The education of our young people and preparing them for their future, will help ensure the continued success of Owatonna and its businesses,” stated Brad Vettrus, Market President, Home Federal Savings Bank.

 "We continue to be thankful for the generosity of our local businesses and amazed by the pride felt by all who live and work within our community,” stated Jeff Elstad, Superintendent of Owatonna Public School District.

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Local Foundations Support Community Meeting Space at New High School

The ISD 761 Foundation and Owatonna Foundation have each donated $250,000 to the Owatonna Public Schools to construct a large community room within the new high school.

The community room will offer a 2,400 square foot meeting space that will be conveniently located near the activities entrance of the new high school with additional access to the outdoor courtyard adjacent to the stadium. The space is intended to be used for community gatherings, parent night celebrations, award ceremonies, and many other possibilities.  During the school day, the space will be set for multiple class presentations and other academic activities.

Read the full press release here.

We had over 100 applicants for the Core Planning Team and those selected include high school staff, students and community members. 

The Core Planning Team met a total of eight times from December 2019 to April 2020, including an all-day building tour of schools.  

For those not selected to be a part of the Core Planning Team, and other interested community members, additional opportunities and subcommittees were planned to gather feedback and hear input to assist during the planning process.