Board Vote on Possible New Sartell High School Could Come Monday

SARTELL - A decision to move forward with planning a new high school could be made by the Sartell-St. Stephen school board on Monday night.

If the board approves having a bond referendum for a new school, the next step would be a decision on where the building would go. Sartell superintendent Jeff Schwiebert says there are four possibilities: Two pieces of property in the Pinecone/Heritage Drive area and two properties to the north on Pinecone, including a piece of land the district already owns next to (on the north side) Oak Ridge Elementary.

"It makes the most sense to go to property that we already own but we want to make sure it will fit what we're talking about. That's what the board is still trying to figure out," Schwiebert says.

The land by Oak Ridge is about 80 acres. Schwiebert says they need 100 acres for a new high school. The proposed building would be 270,000 square feet and would hold 1,350 students.

"That's one of the other factors that we're working on: is there land available close or adjacent to it that could get it to that 100 acres? There is some property there that we're talking to others about."

In November 2015, a community task force recommended the district spend around $158 million for facility updates, including $87 million for a new high school. The decision was made to address space crunches in Sartell-St. Stephen schools.

The board is holding a work session on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. Discussion will likely focus on the  possible action that could be taken Monday night.