Burnsville class decision reversed

A new Burnsville magnet school that will center on the city's new arts center will offer core classes at the local high school, after all.

The Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school board voted Thursday to have students at Envision Academy of the Arts take classes in core subjects at Burnsville High School, about a mile away from the arts center, rather than in separate, leased classrooms next door.

The board had voted 4-3 in December to seek a lease in a mixed-use building near the arts center instead of going with the district's initial plan, which called for students in the magnet program to spend part of the school day at the high school.

But two new board members who were sworn in at Thursday's meeting tipped the balance, and the board reversed its earlier decision on another 4-3 vote, said board chairwoman Sue Martin.

Martin, Gail Morrison and new members DeeDee Currier and Sandra Sweep voted to reverse the decision, with Ron Hill, Dan Luth and Nancy Banyard dissenting.

Envision Academy will open in the fall.

SARAH LEMAGIE