by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Schools in Sartell have been rather ingenious at “making do” with space shortages in the past decade or so, according to Sartell-St. Stephen Superintendent Dr. Jeff Schwiebert.
In a talk at the last Sartell City Council meeting, Schwiebert gave an overview of the school district’s request for a $105.8-million building fund, which will be presented to voters in a May 24 bond election.
In past years up to the present, school staff has found every available space to use, and some office spaces are barely bigger than closets, Schwiebert noted. It’s not just one or two schools; the space shortage is a serious problem at all four schools.
A big reason for the space shortage is a good problem – the fact that Sartell is an attractive city, causing families to want to move to the city because of its amenities, chief among them the excellence of the school system.
Currently, there are 3,800 students enrolled in the district. Growth estimates show that by 2026, that number will be 4,300 students.
If voters approve the multi-million-dollar bond, the plan is to build a new high school near Oak Ridge Elementary School on 100 acres of land the district owns. An additional 20 acres could be purchased there for expansion. The estimated cost of the new 288,000 square-foot high school, grades 9-12, would be about $90 million, Schwiebert noted. The new school could be ready for classes in fall 2019. That school would be Phase I of construction and remodeling in the district.
The rest of the work would be done in three phases, with the middle-school remodeling being second. It would involve a completely new ventilation system. The two elementary schools would then be remodeled to create or enhance spaces within them.
Both elementary schools will accommodate students 4 years old through grade 2.
The remodeled middle school will be used for grades 3-5.
And the current high school will be repurposed for grades 6-8.
There is no schematic drawing of the school plans yet, Schwiebert noted, because all involved in the planning thought it best to wait to see if voters will approve the bond before the district spends money on spending a lot of money, up to $800,000, for architectural plans and specs.
In taxes, the bond would cost someone with a home valued at $180,000 an annual increase of $267 in property taxes over a 25-year period, Schwiebert noted. If an operating levy becomes necessary, that could add $50 to $60 to that amount, he said.
The bond proposal has been “fairly well received” so far, Schwiebert told the council.
“Our job is to get the information out so people can make well-informed choices,” he said.
Bond proponents have been asked if construction will affect the district’s open-enrollment policy. Schwiebert said no, that the district will continue with the state’s 1-percent option, which allows districts to limit enrollment of non-resident students to up to 1 percent of total enrollment at each grade level within a district.
Schwiebert was asked about public charter schools opening throughout the greater St. Cloud area and their impact on new school construction in Sartell.
Schwiebert said he believes the excellence of Sartell’s education can stand up to any charter schools now or in the future. Charter schools, in that respect, are good competition for Sartell to maintain and strengthen that commitment to top-level education thanks to a staff that does a “phenomenal job,” Schwiebert noted.
