Trustees Discuss Building New School
Possible K-5 School
Wolf Point School Board trustees discussed possible options of improving the district’s elementary schools during a planning meeting held on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
The option that trustees approved was a plan to demolish South Side School and build a new preK-fifth grade school at the Southside location. Northside could then be used for teacher housing, other educational functions or possibly be sold.
Cost of the option is estimated to be about $60 million, according to figures from McKinstry Montana.
A key to the school officials’ plans is how much funding a grant would supply the school district for the project. Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Perkins said applications for the grant opens in March.
“We have to do planning to get there,” Perkins said at the beginning of Wednesday’s meeting. “That’s what this discussion is about.”
Board chair Roxanne Gourneau feels it’s important to “reach for the stars” when applying for the grant.
“We have to maximize everything we want, because we know we won’t get it,” Gourneau said.
Perkins explained that a key to getting grant funding is to justify the needs of the school district.
The superintendent says that if the school district doesn’t get everything it wants financially, then the board needs to come back and make decisions.
Other possible sources of funding included the impact aid fund, getting a loan through the impact aid fund and requesting a bond election.
Perkins said impact aid funding is a continuing battle to keep for schools. “There’s nothing that ties that down,” he said.
When the question was asked why school officials preferred building a prek-grade 5 school rather than a prek-grade 3 school, answers included a long-term savings of having one building instead of two buildings. Safety was another benefit as the school district will need to protect two buildings rather than three buildings. Perkins also mentioned busing and curriculum benefits.
Trustee Trenton Wemmer said it also gives trustees options regarding Northside School.
Trustees agreed early on in the meeting that it makes more sense financially and in the long run to have a new building rather than renovate existing buildings.
Also during the meeting, trustees discussed renovation or replacement of the track. Activities director Eric Peterson said the current track is 25 years old and hasn’t been resurfaced since 2008.
Because of the track’s poor condition, Wolf Point will not have any home track meets this school year.
“If you take a leaf blower, you can take the top of the track off,” Perkins said.
Trustees requested more information regarding options for the track prior to making a decision.
