Possible options for a new school in Kalispell are coming together as administrators and staff seek a solution for overcrowded classrooms and aging facilities.
Earlier this week Mark Flatau, superintendent of Kalispell School District #5, and a team of planners presented a list of six options for building a facility, or two, on a 25-acre section of property on the south end of town.
The options include constructing two separate buildings — an elementary school for kindergarten through fifth grade and a middle school for sixth grade through eighth grade — or one facility for both elementary and middle school students.
Another idea that has gained traction in recent weeks is to build two separate facilities and convert an existing, centrally located elementary site into a new “early childhood center” for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. This option would free up the other elementary schools that have overflowing kindergarten classes, Flatau said.
Another option is to build one facility for kindergarten through fifth graders.
The proposal to build a new Flathead High School remains among the options, although it appears to be a long shot due to several factors, including the need for another 40-acre property.
Flatau explained the benefits and drawbacks of each alternative during a Nov. 4 meeting at Elrod Elementary School with a group of staff and parents that has met regularly in recent months hoping to solve the overcrowding issue. Cost estimates will be presented at a future meeting.
The group voted on its top choices, and the two with the most support were constructing separate elementary and middle school facilities on the 25-acre site along Airport Road and the option that included the early childhood center. The group expressed strong opposition to further exploring a new Flathead High School.
The group will further study the options at its next meeting on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. at Russell Elementary.
Classes at all five of Kalispell’s elementary schools are already over-capacity, including Edgerton, which has over 100 students more than the ideal amount, according to district officials and planners who are studying the city’s schools.
The last elementary school to be built in Kalispell was Edgerton in 1987. In recent years, the district has added classrooms onto existing sites, but those facilities are already filled while others are plagued by deferred maintenance, administrators say.
Last summer the school district formally launched a new planning effort to solve this complex situation. Through the process, Flatau has emphasized the importance of addressing short-term needs with long-term planning.
Also factoring into the discussion is the Lakeside-Somers school district, which has proposed sending its 160-180 sixth-through-eighth grade students to a potential new Kalispell middle school. Lakeside-Somers would provide financial support for those students, but some people have raised concerns over Kalispell residents paying for the initial construction of the facility that out-of-district students would later use.
Flatau said the goal is to determine the best option in the coming months before presenting a proposal to city voters who would have to approve a bond for any construction. The bond request would likely go to a vote next fall, he said. If approved, a new school could open in fall 2018.
Other cities across Montana have been tackling a similar situation.
Last week Missoula voters approved bond requests for $88 million for elementary and middle school upgrades and $70 million for high school renovations. Last month Bigfork residents approved a bond request for $14 million to redevelop the high school. In 2013, Billings voters approved a $122 million bond to build two new middle schools and address $36 million in deferred maintenance. Bozeman passed a $26.37 million bond in 2012 for a new elementary school and upgrades to its other aging sites.
“I know for many of you it may seem that this process is taking a lot of time and you want to see decisions and actions sooner rather than later,” Flatau said in an email to staff and parents. “I do understand this perspective and ask for your patience as we continue to move forward on a decision that will garner strong community support.”