Our District & History

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OUR DISTRICT & HISTORY


How were the ISD 199 boundaries decided?
We are often asked why the city and school district boundaries in Inver Grove Heights are not the same. Three public school districts serve Inver Grove Heights: Inver Grove Heights Schools (ISD 199), Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Schools (ISD 196), and West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan Area Schools (ISD 197). Within the Twin Cities Metropolitan area, it is common for multiple school districts to serve one city and for one school district to serve multiple cities. This is because most school district boundaries have not been changed since Minnesota’s beginning.

In the early days of Minnesota, it was determined that every township with five or more families should establish a school district. When Minnesota became a state, school districts were allowed to be established ignoring township lines. School districts began to be organized by the farm property lines of families that had children attending the schools. Typically, these school district boundary lines are still in place today, and many look very strange considering the development that has taken place since they were drawn.

Changes in school district boundaries are extremely rare because the change process is so involved. First, school districts must arrive at a mutual resolution and have it approved by both school boards. Then, legislative action is required for the change to take place. In most recent history, school district boundary changes have involved a land exchange of roughly equal taxable value.


Is Discovery Charter School part of Inver Grove Heights School District 199?

No, Discovery Charter School is not part of ISD 199. Although it is located within the city of Inver Grove Heights, Discovery is not part of the Inver Grove Heights School District. Our elementary schools are Hilltop, Pine Bend, Salem Hills, and 199 Online elementary schools and the Atheneum Gifted Magnet Program.


Why do receive the 199 Reporter newsletter if I don't have students currently in Inver Grove Heights Schools?
At ISD 199, we believe that our schools are everyone's business. We have an obligation to inform not only our current families but all of our neighbors about the news and events going on in the district, so we mail the quarterly 199 Reporter newsletter to every enrolled family and every neighbor living within our school district boundaries.

In a recent stratified random sample survey of the community, 30% of the group surveyed said that the 199 Reporter was their main source of news about the district. Though 30% may not seem like a lot, the results of the survey also showed that our residents use the 199 Reporter for information more than any other news source. That is a statistic we take to heart because, even if some of our residents do not have internet access, they are no less part of our community.

As for the costs associated with mailing the 199 Reporter to all district residents, mailing the 199 Reporter to all residents costs far less than sending to a specific list of addresses. Thanks to bulk mailing prices and other savings on postage from the U.S. Post Office, mailing a 199 Reporter only costs about $0.17, a drastic savings from the $0.63 cost of mailing a single letter. The cost of surveying residents, maintaining a specified mailing list, and mailing only to those residents would far outweigh any savings. In addition to making sure all of our neighbors have the opportunity to be informed, we must also maintain our fiscal responsibility to all residents and removing specific addresses dramatically increases costs.

We continuously review and work to improve this essential community newsletter so the content will help us grow an involved and invested community.