Grade Levels Could Change At Wolf Point Schools

The public’s input is requested regarding the possibility of moving two grades in the Wolf Point School District.

Public meetings and surveys are planned on the topic of having sixth-grade student attend classes at the junior high school and thirdgrade students being moved from Southside Elementary School to Northside Elementary School.

Wolf Point Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Perkins said the changes would address a variety of topics. If the needed funding becomes available to build a new school, building a pre-k to second-grade school would be less expensive than a pre-k to fifth-grade school.

Perkins said the plans includes the administration office going back to the building currently being leased to the Montana Highway Patrol on Main Street. Perkins said that office will provide school officials with more privacy.

The current administration office could then be utilized as a band room for Northside’s music students.

“It’s a solution where you don’t need a new band hall,” Perkins said, If a change is approved, the school district needs to inform the Montana Office of Public Instruction by the end of May due to financial impacts because the sixth-grade students would be considered junior high students. High school principal Kim Hanks said another benefit is that sixth- to eighth-grade students should be banded together for curriculum efforts.

School officials are aiming to conduct public meetings in late March or early April.

“I’m just looking to get the information out there,” Perkins said.

Also during the meeting on Monday, March 10, Perkins reported that discipline incidences have decreased in the school district from last school year.

“From last year to this year, incidences are down 8.94 percent district wide. Every campus shows improvement from last year to this year except the high school,” Perkins said. “I would not read too much into increases and decreases with any one campus without more data gathering. Overall though, it is encouraging. Northside has shown the greatest improvement at a 17.36 percent drop in incidences.”