For more than 110 years, a school in Dayton has served the residents of this small community on Flathead Lake, which student research found is the oldest continuously operating school building in Montana. Since it was built, attendance has grown from a handful of students to 45 this school year, with seven staff members.
In that same time frame, the small building has had three additions built on to accommodate the growth but has been unable to expand as much as needed. Enter the Rural Education and Community Heritage (REACH) Foundation, a community nonprofit founded to build a new school and community center to serve the west shore community.
The REACH Foundation aims to raise money for the new Upper West Shore Elementary entirely through private means and will be hosting a casino night fundraiser at Snowline Acres on April 27.
“This event is a big kick off to spread the word about the initiative — a lot of people still aren’t aware of what we’re trying to do,” said Kaci Santos, executive director of the REACH Foundation. “We want to find people who are excited about education and helping our children have better facilities, but also want to help the Proctor and Dayton communities have facilities where people can gather.”
Two years ago, members of the Dayton community and the school board came together and decided the facilities needed a full overhaul. There currently is no gym space or cafeteria, no dedicated space for art or music classes, and the building is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Further expansion on the current land, which is leased by the Polson School District from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), would encroach on the already minimal playground and athletic fields. Santos said that in discussions between the REACH Foundation and the school board, it was decided that such a big investment in overhauling the school didn’t make sense on leased property. Instead, the new facilities will be built to the northwest towards Proctor on 10 acres of land donated to the foundation.
The plans for the new school have it doubling as a community center and will include a library, music and theater room, gymnasium, kitchen and agricultural center, as well as exercise facilities and a health clinic open to the community. They also hope to build staff housing on site to help with teacher hiring and retention.
Santos said the construction cost is estimated to be $20 million and the Foundation hopes to break ground once they hit the $5 million mark. To learn more or buy tickets for the Casino Night, visit www.reachmontana.org.