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The Kenmare Public School District is pondering a third bond referendum election to fund construction of a building addition to the high school. Two previous bond referendums failed by a narrow margin.
Tim Godfrey, the school superintendent, said Thursday that an outside firm, School Perceptions, was hired to survey voters in the school district. The results of the survey will be presented to the school board at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 16. The board will meet in person and the meeting will also be live-streamed on the district's Facebook page. The board will make its decision about whether to move forward with another bond referendum based on the survey results.
Godfrey said pre-schoolers through second-graders currently attend classes in the district's primary building, which was built in the 1950s and has many issues. If a bond referendum is held and passed, that building would be demolished and the district would build an addition to the high school that would include four classrooms and a practice gymnasium, said Godfrey. The preschoolers through second-graders would then be moved to the new classroom addition. The practice gymnasium could be used for physical education classes as well as for community events. Third-graders through high school seniors currently attend classes in the high school building.
Godfrey said it would cost less to build a new addition than it would be try to renovate the primary school building. The referendum that is under consideration would cost about $6.8 million. Godfrey said additional costs to tax payers if the referendum goes forward have not yet been calculated.
A bond referendum requires 60 percent or greater approval from voters to be passed.
There are 300 students in grades K-12 at Kenmare.