Elementary school is getting crowded

Sisters Elementary School is full of students and the school board is pondering options. photo by Jim Cornelius It's getting crowded at Sisters Elementary School and the Sisters School Board is considering what -- if anything -- to do about it.

At a special meeting Wednesday, December 8, the board outlined a schedule for continued discussion and public input on overcrowding, ideally culminating in a decision next Valentine's Day, February 14. According to the schedule, public comment will be invited at the regular board meeting January 10 and a special hearing January 19.

At last week's session, the board worked from a five-page background paper setting out relevant facts and discussing the pros and cons of five different options, beginning with doing nothing.

The paper was prepared by Superintendent Ted Thonstad with the help of Tim Comfort and Lora Nordquist, principals of the district's elementary and middle schools, respectively.

"The immediate problem." the paper begins, "is the current overcrowding at the elementary school, which limits the district's ability to respond to large classes because there is no room to create another class of a particular grade or a blended class as a means of reducing class size. Every inch of space is in use, including a janitor's closet that has been converted to an office.

"In addition, the common areas such as the media center, commons, gym, and cafeteria are being strained because of the number of students and program/activity space needs.

"As a result, there is a need to begin a discussion as to how to best resolve the challenges of growth and the resulting space requirements in both the short term (present to five years) and to consider the long term (five to 10 years) facility needs of the district."

One problem is the uncertainty of future enrollment projections. Growth in recent years has been anything but steady.

The elementary school's enrollment at the beginning of December stood at 448, an increase of 18 from the 430 recorded at the same time last year.

But going back six years, successive December totals have been: 1998, 437; 1999, 448 (same as the current year); 2000, 425; 2001, 400; 2002, 382; 2003, 430.

The building's capacity is rated at 400 students, but Thonstad and Comfort said 375 might be more realistic in terms of ideal space for all uses.

While the school's enrollment may drop again once the bulge of this year's unusually large fourth and fifth grade classes passes through, various factors indicate that the district must expect continued growth in the future.

The big question mark concerns timing. Among other things, the background paper noted: "The announcement by Hayden Homes of plans to build 391 housing units over the next five to eight years could conservatively add 400 children to the school district..."

Most of the discussion last week focused on two of the five options -- moving the fifth grade to the middle school or moving the kindergarten to the middle school.

The first choice would open up three classrooms at the elementary school and the second would open two.

Principals Comfort and Nordquist said either move would have pluses and minuses but they pledged to make either one "work educationally" if it turns out to be the board's choice.

A third choice that received some favorable attention would be to provide two classrooms of space in what will become the district's new administration building (part of the former middle school) across Locust Street from the elementary school.

That would provide overflow room for either fifth graders or kindergartners and was cited as "potentially (the) least expensive short-term solution."

The fourth option, which received little comment, would be to put a two-classroom modular structure at the elementary school.