Moorhead High School Makes Its Case For Referendum

It would help rebuild the school from the ground up with projects like creating new classrooms and improve accessibility for disabled students.

MOORHEAD, Minn. — The 110 million dollar referendum is up for a vote on November 5th.

It would help rebuild the school from the ground up with projects like creating new classrooms and improve accessibility for disabled students.

With the lack of space in classrooms like Social Study Teacher Tina Bentz’s are left in some murky conditions to teach.

“I have students who sit atop that and they are aware that it is a sewer drain,” Social Study Teacher Tina Bentz said.

It’s causing problems for her class.

“It backs up about 3 to 4 times a year, we need to relocate it’s not safe, it’s not a good place for our students so finding a space where I can move 32 kids that takes time,” Bentz said.

Teaching and learning in an environment with zero access to sunlight can make lessons difficult.

“Most weeks in the winter I don’t see daylight unless it is on the weekend which really does take its toll,” Bentz said.

To try and compensate for a lack of space, the school converted sections of lockers into classrooms like these. With all these narrowing hallways, it’s making an already crowded school which is especially hurting kids with disabilities.

“It’s hard to find a spot in the commons or navigate or try and get through into a classroom and feel like they’re really a part of it that’s hard for me as an educator, ” Special Education Teacher Megan Blake said.

The district hopes to get funding to solve these problems that will only compound every year they wait.

“I think just knowing there is more coming and that even more of a challenge because we already tight for space we already have teachers that don’t have their own classrooms or that are moving quiet often.

When is enough enough? When do we finally give them the space they really deserve to learn in?” Principal of Career Academy Joshua Haag said.

If the referendum is approved a house valued at 200 thousand dollars would see their property taxes go up an estimated 93 dollars a year.