However, Hultz said he planned to vote “yes” on his absentee ballot on the first part of the question that would approve $84.8 million to fund a new 9-12 high school at the site of the former Cognizant building on land in northwest Minot that was donated last year to the school district by Cognizant; turn Magic City Campus from an 11-12 high school campus into a 9-12 high school and convert Central Campus from a 9-10 high school campus into a third in-town middle school for grades 6-8.

“I mean, we have to have one, there’s not enough space right now,” said Hultz, one of several students who gave their input as part of a committee that advised the district on what students want to see in a new school space.

A scaled back bond issue passed in 2014 after a larger bond issue failed in 2013 that would have addressed needs at the middle school and high school level as well as the elementary level. The successful bond issue in 2013 paid for construction of the new John Hoeven Elementary and additions at Edison and Perkett elementaries.

Bigger classes mean that Jim Hill Middle School is currently surrounded by 14 portable classrooms and is well over capacity and the new Erik Ramstad Middle School is nearing capacity. Central and Magic City Campus are also anticipating continued problems with crowding.

Andrea Johnson/MDN Minot High School students Julia Putt, Isabella Ueckert, Lydia Repnow, MaLiah Burke, Oscar Hultz, and Bryer Samuelson talked with The Minot Daily News last week about the Dec. 7 school bond election.

If voters vote yes on the first question, they must then decide whether they also want to approve an additional $24.2 million to pay for construction of a 50-meter competition swimming pool, new turf and an athletic complex at the site of the new school on the Cognizant site. The third question asks voters to approve raising the debt ceiling to allow the district’s debt to be at 10% of its assessed property value. Those are the questions that Hultz was still mulling over last week.

School taxes would go up by about $300 per year for the owner of a $200,000 house in the district if the bond issue passes.

Hultz said he thinks people might notice an extra $20 per month for the first two months or so but then will just budget for the extra cost.

There is a referendum tax calculator on the school district’s website where tax payers can input the value of their property and find out how much extra they would have to pay in taxes for commercial/ag or residential property.

Election day is this Tuesday and polls will be open at the Minot Municipal Auditorium that day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but some voters have already cast their ballots via absentee ballot or through early voting at the Ward County Administration Building. Hultz, who is old enough to vote, said his absentee ballot was still sitting at home and he had not yet filled it out.

Hultz and other high school students who participated in the advisory committee said they see a real need for the bond issue.

The Minot Public School District is one of a handful of districts in the country with a high school split between two campuses.

Students said a shuttle bus runs between Magic City Campus, which houses grades 11-12, and Central Campus, which houses grades 9-10, for students who are enrolled at one campus but are taking a class at the other school campus. Traveling between the two school campuses takes about 10 minutes one way and students can lose the equivalent of an entire class period each week traveling between the two buildings. The distance and the loss of time means that some students might not be able to take some of the classes they are interested in that are offered at the other building when there is a schedule conflict. That would be less likely to happen if grades 9-12 are all attending school under the same roof.

Hultz and other Minot high students Lydia Repnow and MaLiah Burke, both seniors; Bryer Samuelson, a junior; and sophomores Isabella Ueckert and Julia Putt said two 9-12 high schools would offer other advantages, like more opportunities to take part in extracurriculars, more space for athletic practices and to host events like festivals, and more academic opportunities. Behavior problems at Central Campus might be alleviated if they have the older kids in grades 11 and 12 as role models. They will also feel more like they are attending one high school instead of two separate schools.

Overcrowding is another issue that students raised and said would be addressed by converting Central Campus into a third in-town middle school.

Jim Hill Middle School is currently over capacity and is surrounded by about 14 portable classrooms.

Erik Ramstad Middle School is also nearing capacity.

Hultz said he had attended schools with portable classrooms from fourth through eighth grades.

“North Dakota’s cold so every time you have to go in to use the bathroom was not fun,” said Hultz.

The portable classrooms at Jim Hill are now fenced in but they were not at Washington Elementary years ago, so there were also safety concerns about students going into the main building from a portable classroom outside the school.

Supt. Mark Vollmer said Jim Hill is now so crowded that another lunch shift has had to be added and the school has started serving afternoon snacks to kids who had to eat lunch as early as 10:45 a.m.

“Right now, we have 1,674 in middle school. We know we’re going to have about 100 more next year just based on the number of students we have coming up,” said Vollmer. “… Central Campus right now is at 1,090.”

Even without more growth, Vollmer said the current buildings will be over capacity.

“We need to do something about that overcrowding,” said Vollmer, who said he has spent many hours speaking to individuals and community groups about the proposal and is available to answer questions. School board members and other school officials have also spent much of their time discussing the proposal with the public.

The high school kids probably won’t be able to attend the new high school or the newly renovated Magic City Campus, but Ueckert said she hopes her younger sister will be able to benefit and won’t have to be shuttled between school buildings.

In addition to the other benefits, the students also pointed out that there will be other community benefits that could be a boost to the economy, like more shopping at businesses when people attend community events.

The bond issue requires a 60 percent or greater approval rate to pass.

If it is approved, Vollmer said work on the projects would have to be done during the summer months so as not to interfere with classes. Work on all three buildings would be completed by August of 2024.