District 742

Lincoln Elementary School in St. Cloud will have a new principal next year. Beth LaCoursiere most recently served as an administrator in the Minneapolis School District. She will take over in the fall for Tina Lahr, who will be moving to Tech High School to become assistant principal.

The St. Cloud Area School District discussed the possibility of buying 185 acres of property in St. Augusta. The land is about one mile south of Interstate 94 and would cost $750,000 ($4,054 per acre). The property was originally considered as a possible location for a new Tech High School.

Hiring a bullying prevention specialist, reducing class sizes and more staffing are included in just over $1.6 million of proposed District 742 strategic plan spending for next year. The funds would represent a small portion of the projected $124.6 million budget for the district in the 2016 fiscal year. The bullying prevention specialist would focus on North and South Junior High Schools. The district says their highest levels of bullying happen at the middle schools.

The St. Cloud Area School District has approved the sale of the Colts Academy building to St. Joseph for $2.3 million. The building used to be the Kennedy Community School and is at 124 1st Avenue Southeast. St. Joseph wants the building for a possible community center.

The District 742 Local Education and Activities Foundation (LEAF) is partnering with the St. Cloud Rotary Club to expand a childhood reading program. A $15,000 gift from the St. Cloud Rotary Club and an additional $10,000 grant from LEAF will expand the Parents and Kids Reading Aloud Together program.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is hosting on open forum on Monday regarding the recent protests at Tech High School in St. Cloud. On February 19th, a group of mostly Somali students at Tech High School walked out of class to protest alleged discrimination at the school.

The St. Cloud Area School District is considering options for a new early childhood center building, including one that would place it at Clark Field. Designs revealed by the district say the building on Clark Field would cost around $25.3 million. The proposed three level building would have 95,000 square feet of space and a 250 space parking lot.

Madison Elementary in St. Cloud could see renovations in the future. The updates are expected to cost around $1-million. The first phase would happen this summer and includes adding two new classrooms, two special education rooms and more space to the kitchen area.

The St. Cloud Tech Alumni Association is meeting with St. Cloud School District officials next week to discuss the future of Clark Field. The District closed the field to varsity football in 2012 because of mold issues.

The St. Cloud area school district is moving to buy over 60 acres of land for a possible new Tech High School. The board approved the purchase of 62.12 acres of land near 33rd Street South.