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At a future meeting, the Pingree-Buchanan School Board will decide if they want to move forward with plans for an addition to the elementary school in Buchanan.
The district has been studying what to do with the crowded conditions at Buchanan for the last few years, including moving a grade to the high school in Pingree and building a portable.
At a later meeting, the board expressed an interest in doing a “brick and mortar” project and asked administrators to explore the possibilities. After working with staff, the current plan, which is not final, calls for the addition of three classrooms, two offices and a conference room for special education and the guidance counselor, and possibly a music room and adding two handicapped accessible bathrooms in the elementary school.
“We have one room that is too small for the number of students we see coming through the grades,” explained Superintendent Robert Toso. “With the technology we have in each classroom, we need more space for teachers to efficiently work with students. The counselor and special education teacher also need more room and better privacy, as much of what they do is confidential and they do not have private offices.”
Current plans call for a mill levy election in the fall. If successful, construction would start in the spring of ‘23. It is hoped that the district would be using the addition in the fall of 2024.
“We look to hire an architect within the next month and get some ideas as to the cost of the project,” Toso further commented, “and then we will have an idea as to the mills we will have to ask for at the election. We will also be able to tell patrons what the added costs will be for property taxes.”
Community meetings to educate the voters on the need will be scheduled for this fall, prior to the election. More information will be made available at a later date.