On Nov.13, the Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee proposed to the school board possible changes to the grade configurations and facilities of the district.

Issues have come up concerning facilities over the past few years. The student population has been increasing, as well as student opportunities. New building resources and configurations have now been brought into consideration.

Robert Bach, the Stillwater High School principal, said, “The main reason for this meeting is to address long term facility needs for the district. That includes science labs, cafeterias, and others like playgrounds and space issues at elementary schools.”

One issue that has come up is regarding what grades go to which schools. Currently, district 834 has a setup that is a little bit different from most other school districts.

“Right now, it’s kindergarten through sixth grade in elementary school, seventh through ninth grade at junior high, and tenth through twelfth in high school. The board is looking at pre-kindergarten through fifth at elementary, sixth through eight at junior high, and ninth through twelfth at high school,” said Bach.

This is one of, if not, the biggest issue that will occur at the meeting because this will impact the students in those grades.

Beau LaBore, coach for the Ponies football team, is a member of the committee. He is the resource member representing coaches.

“If we are able to move forward, it would increase opportunities for all students, but particularly pre-kindergarten students, sixth graders and ninth graders,” said LaBore.

However, they won’t be only the  students who are affected. Members of our community will also be greatly affected, but in a different way.

Bach said, “Certainly community members are affected because of taxes. They must approve it, but if it is, then they will have to pay more taxes.”

While many people may not want to pay taxes, there are some people who think that this would be better for the district.

“I support the task force’s recommendation to reconfigure our grades and improve facilities to better meet the needs of our students,” said LaBore.