Minot Public School Board offers McKinley Elementary potential alternatives

Minot, North Dakota – The Minot Public School Board discussed potential future designs for the school during a special meeting on Monday night at McKinley Elementary.

The district is holding the meeting while it works out how to deal with a projected multi-million dollar budget deficit for the following year.

Numerous educators and parents were present during the gathering.

Dr. Mark Vollmer, the superintendent, began by stating that the school today enrolls less than half of the 142 students that it did in 2014.

According to Vollmer, closing the school is a possibility.

“We don’t have the student population base here that we once did, so we have a lot of things to discuss. I want to reiterate, no final decisions have been made in any way,” said Vollmer.

Other possibilities put forth by Minot Public Schools’ elementary assistant superintendent Bryn Iverson included moving teachers to a different school and merging a few grades within McKinley.

A different choice would be to move Bell Elementary children to McKinley.

The school’s modest class sizes, according to educators and parents who spoke up, have benefited all of the students, particularly those with special education needs.

The same public feedback gathering is set for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Bell Elementary.