Chamber members get school plans at a glance

A group of Kalispell business leaders got a report Tuesday on $67 million in school construction.

School District 5 Superintendent Darlene Schottle and Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas gave thumbnail sketches of their respective building projects at the Kalispell Area Chamber of Commerce membership luncheon.

They also outlined curriculum developments on the horizon to provide more seamless transitions from high school to community college to four-year studies or to work.

Schottle led off the day with an overview of what's being done with the $39.8 million voters approved last November for a new high school and renovations at Flathead High, and the $10.9 million to expand and renovate Kalispell Junior High into a middle school.

Everything opens in fall 2007.

She explained the property layout for Glacier High School, making it clear that some of the land at the west end will not be developed right away into athletic fields.

"I know $39.8 million seems like a lot of money," she said, "but a lot of issues can come up along the way."

In the floor plans, she pointed out classroom wings and gave a virtual tour of the building.

"We're proud of our whole school, but we're really proud of our food court," Schottle said. It will offer nutritious choices keyed in to the way students eat. A decision on open or closed campus will be made later.

Both high schools will tie curriculum to "real" work in the post-secondary and employment world.

Offerings will "be equitable but not equal" - with Flathead High approved as an International Baccalaureate campus and Glacier High heading in the direction of technology education.

The school is studying the career-cluster concept. Sixteen distinct clusters have been identified that each would hold a variety of coursework.

At the junior high, construction began this month on the new gym to be connected at the west end of the existing gym. Schottle said school officials will monitor and "value engineer" the plan to get the most for every dollar.

Curriculum planning for the middle school is under way this year, administrators and staff will be chosen in 2006, then books, supplies and furniture will be ordered next year.

At Flathead High, a plan is being

laid for $4.5 million in renovations. This fall, school officials are assessing the building's current condition. They will draw up a plan then start renovations in summer 2006.

Karas wrapped up the program talking about the long-awaited FVCC project that will increase the 125-acre campus to 209 acres.

In December 2002, voters approved just over $15.8 million for the college to add three buildings - for Occupational Trades, Arts and Technology, and Early Childhood Education and Care Center - and renovate several others on campus.

Three years and a contentious lawsuit later, the college is ready to begin construction.

The Occupational Trades building is scheduled to open in fall 2006, Arts and Technology in spring semester 2007, and Early Childhood in summer 2007.

Cost increases over three years meant the $15.8 million project became a $20 million venture. But Karas said the college worked with Architects Northwest to keep all the educational opportunities while paring it back to $18 million or $19 million.

The college will launch a capital campaign later this year to solicit the extra support.

The Occupational Trades building will offer new on-campus opportunities for students and the community. It also will consolidate shipping and receiving in one building.

Arts and Technology will be the college's first two-story building, with both floors at ground level of a sloped landscape.

A big advantage here will be the addition of an instructional black-box theater, Karas said, eliminating the need to convert classrooms into a performance hall each time a new production is staged. A new, large meeting room will accommodate 250 to 280 people and solve a perennial space crunch.

The Early Childhood building will provide rooms for infants, toddlers and preschool children, with a place for college students to work with them while doing course work.

Overall, Karas said, the college is developing and instituting a long list of new instructional programs as educators work with School District 5 and other districts to provide that seamless educational transition students need.

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com