Submitted photo Board members meet at a retreat on future planning on Nov. 29.

One high school or two and/or a brand new middle school are all options being considered by the Minot Public School board to address anticipated overcrowding.

The board met at a retreat on Thursday evening to discuss future planning. Superintendent Mark Vollmer said the board has asked for more cost and staffing estimates for various scenarios.

For instance, if the board decided to turn Magic City Campus, currently an 11-12 building, into a high school building for grades 9-12, the district would have to add more science labs, said Vollmer. Ninth and 10th graders take required science classes, while juniors and seniors take science electives and fewer science labs are required.

Another option discussed would be to move to two 9-12 high schools, one at Central Campus and one at Magic City Campus, and to build a third middle school.

Vollmer said the district has built to its southern boundary, so any new middle school would probably have to be located in the northern part of town.

“At the end of the day what we know is we have more kids in middle school in Minot than we have room,” said Vollmer.

Vollmer said the district currently has about 800 students at Jim Hill Middle School in a building that was built for 720 students. The district has moved portable classrooms onto the campus to accommodate kids. By 2020, they anticipate there will be up to 935 students at Jim Hill. Larger elementary classes are advancing and will eventually overwhelm capacity. Erik Ramstad Middle School is also experiencing tight quarters for classes like band and choir and in the commons area.

Voters approved a scaled back $39.5 million bond issue in April 2014 that paid for construction of the new John Hoeven Elementary and additions at Edison and Perkett Elementaries and safety improvements district wide. However, voters had rejected a $125 million bond issue in December 2013 that would have have paid for construction of a new high school and renovation of Central Campus into a fourth middle school for the district.

Another bond issue would likely be a hard sell at a time when property taxes have gone up in Minot, Vollmer acknowledged.

Vollmer said the board also discussed the upcoming legislative session and the possibility of asking for more state assistance.

“The board is not looking at rushing into anything,” said Vollmer. “What we want is to explore options and then have opportunities for public input.”

Vollmer said the board is not planning to hold another retreat until after Jan. 1. Public input sessions could possibly be held sometime in February or March or later.