Minot Looking to Add More Schools - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Minot Looking to Add More Schools

As Minot's population continues to rise, so does the need for additional schools.

Washington Elementary school had five empty classrooms when the new building was opened in 2006.

Since then, it has added nine classrooms outside the building.

The crowding at Washington is an example of the ongoing growth in the Minot Public Schools.

The district has several ongoing school construction projects that are intended to address the increased growth in the district.

Minot Public Schools Superintendent Mark Vollmer says they are in the process of hiring an architectural firm to help with the construction projects and the next step could lead to voters being asked to approve a bond issue next spring for a new school.

(Mark Vollmer, Minot Public Schools, Superintendent) "The next stage of this will be hiring an architectural firm and then we will begin the process of community meetings and input from our community to see how quickly we need to move ahead. As plan forward, we need to be very careful about making sure we have adequate space to operate our school district."

The school board is expected to discuss the possibility of new buildings and how to raise funds for them over the winter.