Mankato Area Public School District seek residents input on upcoming projects

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - Mankato Area Public Schools asks residents in the district for their input in a survey.

The district is working to finalize a long-range plan to update several school facilities. This planning process began in 2017, since then a committee that included city leaders, parents, and community members, identified several goals:

• Increase school capacity to support the District’s growing enrollment.
• Enhance school safety and security.
• Expand classrooms and learning spaces to provide more “hands-on” learning.
• Add classroom space to support students with special needs.
• Expand early childhood programming.
• Continue replacing aging building systems, such as heating, electrical, and plumbing.

“Our greatest needs right now are at our elementary level and deal with our growth with elementary schools, looking at building a new elementary school, doing some modifications at several of our other elementary [schools] adding some secure entrances, increasing cafeteria spaces and classroom spaces,” Mankato Area Public Schools Facilities and Safety Director Scott Hogen explained.

Additional questions include adding a gym at Dakota Meadows Middle School, and to either renovate and remodel Mankato West High School or build a new one, and more.

“There are more projects than what we probably can afford right now so it’s our goal through this survey to determine which projects we can tolerate right now” explained Hogen.

All school district residents will receive a paper survey in the mail in the coming weeks. Residents can respond via mail or online using the access code provided on those surveys.

Results will be presented at a school board meeting held in October.

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