Architects pose building options to Mandan School Board

The Mandan School Board could decide to build a middle school, change elementary schools to grades K-4, create a ninth-grade campus or expand the district's existing facilities to address the projected influx of students, architects said Monday.

Representatives from JLG Architects presented board members with those options and others to consider after conducting a study of the district's facilities.

Doug Larson of JLG said the district needs to consider building a second middle school as the high school could reach 1,500 students by 2029.

"You're not going to feed that high school off one middle school," he said. "A 1,500-student middle school is getting close to a mega-school."

Enrollment district-wide is expected to grow by 700 students in five years.

Larson said the district could also consider moving fifth graders to the middle school, which would free up space at the elementary level. He suggested that as a temporary option fifth grade would move back to elementary schoolswhen the district catches up on building other facilities.

Such a plan would prevent schools from having to rely on portables to accommodate the overflow of students, he said.

The district could also build expansions at its elementary schools, but additions are feasible only at Fort Lincoln and Red Trail, Kevin Ruhland of JLG said.

The architects also suggested the district consider pulling all ninth graders from Mandan High School and sending them to the Brave Center for one year.

In other business, the school board passed a resolution agreeing to work with the park district and city of Mandan to find a suitable location to build recreational facilities if voters approve a sales tax for that purpose. The school district would make land available through joint powers or facilities usage agreements.

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Architects pose building options to Mandan School Board