St. Cloud School Board Holding Public Hearing Tonight On The Future Of High Schools

ST. CLOUD - St. Cloud area residents will finally have a chance to officially weigh-in on the future of the public high schools.

Several options are on the table: build a new Tech High School, build one mega school and eliminate both Tech and Apollo, go to a three high school system, or do nothing.

District leaders say the nearly 100-year-old Tech high school needs to be replaced, due to increasing repair costs. The district is spending over $1 million on the building this summer on asbestos removal.

St. Cloud had just one high school, until 1970 when Apollo was built.

One of the fastest growing parts of the district is the St. Joseph area. They would also like to see their Pre-K through 8th grade building expand into a high school as well.

The school board has been planning for a new high school. They've already bought 68 acres of land in south St. Cloud, and also have an option to buy 185 acres in St. Augusta.

The total enrollment for the St. Cloud area school district is just under 10,000 students. It's been growing for the past several years, after suffering from years of declining enrollment in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The District 742 school board will hold a public hearing tonight (Thursday) at 7:00 p.m., during their regular meeting at St. Cloud City Hall.

Voters will have the final say. The school board is expected to put a referendum on a new school on a ballot this spring.