Referendum bond vote on the ballot for West Fargo Public Schools
WEST FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – Tuesday marks an important day in West Fargo, as residents will vote on a bond referendum for the school district. A bond referendum of $147 million is being voted on by residents in West Fargo.
Part of the ask is due to needed expansions of Heritage Middle and Horace High Schools.
“We just keep moving down and adding on when we need to. It’s time now for Heritage and Horace to be built out as well as some other projects. Including early childhood preschool, accommodating some of our littlest learners to have space on the south side of town.” Says West Fargo Public Schools superintendent Beth Slette.
The school district is projecting a growth in the student population.
They used task forces to see what was needed to address the ever-changing landscape.
“It’s become a very popular place to build a home and start a family. They really love their community. The schools are very much appreciated by the entire community. So they appreciate the consideration in this bond referendum that we expand them into their full capacity.” Said Slette.
Part of the bond is the acquisition of land. The land they are hoping to get is by 12th avenue North and South of Harwood.
Slette also said, “The land acquisition is on the northside of town. That is just to put us in a position down the road if we need to add more schools to the northside.”
Below is the district task force’s recommendations for the bond referendum:
1. A new elementary school for continued growth in the Mustang and Hawk feeder
system to serve up to 576 learners: $34.8 million
2. Expansion of Heritage Middle School to provide additional instructional space to
increase capacity from 900 learners to 1,200 learners: $19.6 million
3. Expansion of Horace High School to provide additional instructional space and
supporting auxiliary spaces to increase capacity from 1,200 learners to 1,550
learners: $32.4 million
4. An expansion of a district elementary school to increase by approximately 40% to
provide space for Early Childhood Special Education services in the southern
portion of the district: $8 million
5. The acquisition of land north of 12th Ave North to support future growth needs
arising from the completion of the FM Diversion = $5 million
6. Renovations and expansions across existing district facilities, ranging from special
education improvements to support learner and educator safety to renovations to
north side elementary schools to ensure they have dedicated space for
programming (like Gifted and Talented Education), consistent with southside
elementary schools: $11.2 million
7. Renovation and expansion of South Elementary, bringing it up to standard with
other district elementary schools and ensuring the building remains viable in its
current location for the next forty years: $15.2 million
8. Safety and security: fire sprinkler systems for three remaining schools that do not
possess them (Westside, South, Eastwood), increased interior door installation to
provide additional protection in the event of a perimeter breach, and improvements
and expansion of the district’s camera surveillance system: $2.2 million
9. Contribution to the expansion of the Veteran’s Memorial Arena in collaboration with
the West Fargo Youth Hockey Association and the West Fargo Park District to
ensure the district has priority access to one sheet of ice per high school feeder
system. The district would have exclusive use to the new locker rooms, modeled
off the WFSA, and pay an hourly usage rate indexed to what’s charged to outside
parties at the WFSA: $5 million
The vote is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. There will be six polling locations available within the district. Harwood Community Center, Westside Elementary School, Lutheran Church of the Cross, Horace Lutheran Church, Rustad Recreation Center and Triumph West Church.
