The design capacity of Worthington's Prairie Elementary, which officially began its school year Wednesday, is 1,150 students. With an enrollment at 1,165 as of Monday, school officials have had to get creative in order to address a shortage of space.
According to District 518 Superintendent John Landgaard, enrollment has increased at all four of the school system's buildings. While that growth creates its share of challenges, it's certainly better than the alternative of dwindling numbers of students and less funding from the state as a result.
For several months, the district has been exploring alternatives regarding how to best address facilities concerns in the future. On Tuesday, the school board authorized the district's Operations Committee to interview candidates for a consultant that would evaluate space district-wide and develop a plan of action. Landgaard would then have the authority to hire the consultant, with the hope being that a report on district facilities will be completed by Dec. 1. After this, more meetings with staff -- as well as the general public -- will begin to take place.
One seemingly certain outcome of the report will be the recommendation of new construction, which in turn would mean approval of a public referendum. That's not on the immediate horizon by any means, but we think it's never too early to consider how to help make our schools work best for their students and our community. We support the district in its current process.
