Planning panel studies high school needs

Flathead and Glacier high school principals had their turn last week when longterm facility planning turned to the needs of the two high schools.

Flathead High School Principal Peter Fusaro and Glacier Principal Callie Langohr presented a different focus to the Kalispell Public Schools facility planning committee.

For Flathead, the spotlight was on aging infrastructure while expansion possibilities took center stage for Glacier due to potential enrollment growth as residential development begins to spring up south of the school.

With Glacier’s current enrollment of 1,312 students and a building capacity of roughly 1,500, there is not much wiggle room considering the impending residential growth.

“When I look across the street — all of us can see it out of our classrooms and our offices — and when we see large apartment complexes being built ... the next few years will be really telling with growth,” Langohr said.

Covering 40 acres on a 60-acre site, Glacier’s pod-style building was constructed with future expansion in mind.

While Flathead High School’s most recent major addition — a commons area built in 2007 — gives a pleasing outward appearance, upon closer inspection, the limitations of a building initially built in the early 1900s are revealed, with deferred maintenance compounding each year like interest.

“It’s not that we don’t take care of it. It’s just every time you turn around something is literally falling apart and you cannot stay on top of it,” Fusaro said.

He commended the school custodians for their work with limited resources. “We really try to do our best.”

Fusaro presented photos of problem areas such as the former central kitchen and the small gym, riddled with safety concerns. He likened making repairs to peeling an onion.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever peeled back an onion, but I’m telling you what — it’s an onion down here. It keeps going and going,” Fusaro said showing before-and-after photos of repairs to the former central kitchen.

Planner Steve L’Heureux of L’Heureux Page Werner noted that the piecemeal approach to construction and upgrades to Flathead over the years may make it challenging to turn the International Baccalaureate World School into one equipped for 21st-century learning.

“Needs have changed,” L’Heureux said.

The conversation briefly turned to how other buildings in the high school district — H.E. Robinson Agricultural Education Center and Linderman Education Center (the district’s alternative high school) — could be expanded and updated.

Then meeting participants began brainstorming how to meet future facility needs no matter how far-fetched the ideas might seem.

A variety of pitches were made as L’Heureux wrote them down to later refine and present at the next facility planning meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 3 at Flathead High School.

One suggestion was building a career and technical education building that houses programs such as welding, carpentry and auto — currently located in outbuildings behind Flathead. A career and technical education center could also serve as an alternative high school, according to Kalispell Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Andrea Johnson.

“These programs work great together,” Johnson said.

With a new alternative high school site, Linderman could be torn down and serve as the central site of an early childhood education center, according to one suggestion.

Some attendees were concerned about continuing to put money into older buildings.

One person suggested tearing down Flathead’s small gym, which hasn’t had too many upgrades since it was built in 1910 and is used daily for physical education classes and freshman/sophomore sports.

Building a new Class A-sized high school was added to the list of suggestions.

As the committee looks at the future of Kalispell high school facilities, other Class AA districts such as Bozeman are in their own facility discussions. Bozeman, the largest AA high school district with almost 2,000 students in one building, is considering building a second high school.

Missoula voters recently approved a $70 million high school bond request to renovate facilities and build a new alternative high school.

Kalispell facility planning discussions got underway in June with a focus on elementary buildings. The elementary district is a top priority because of overcrowding and consistent enrollment growth.

L’Heureux said the goal is to get the committee’s recommendations to the school board by April or May.

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for the Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.