PARSHALL, N.D. (AP) - The superintendent of a small school district on a Native American reservation in North Dakota hopes a new school building will improve education in the district.
Residents in Mountrail and McLean counties recently approved a $5.4 million bond issue to build a new high school and renovate the elementary school in the Parshall School District, which is on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, the Bismarck Tribune reported .
“I think (local resident thought) the new building isn’t going to change what goes on inside the building, but in our case, it’s going to change it significantly because things have changed so much over the last 60 years that the spaces just don’t function properly,” said Beth Schwarz, district superintendent.
The elementary and high school buildings were constructed in the 1960s and have safety and security issues. Schwarz said there a good understanding this year among residents about the funding sources for the new school and other improvements.
The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation provided matching funds for the new school. The tribe is located on the reservation.
“MHA Nation graciously granted us $3.5 million before the referendum even happened,” Schwarz said. “I think that just helped some folks who were maybe on the fence.”
Schwarz’s biggest concerns were structural and asbestos at the two school buildings. The bond referendum approved last month will include a fire safety system, alarm system and upgraded education spaces at the high school.
The high school will expand to grades 6-12, Shwarz said. The old high school will be torn down, with the district’s goal to add an elementary to the new high school building to create one K-12 building.
Groundbreaking on the new high school is expected around August.
The district’s student enrollment was 285 last school year.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
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