District 742 Plans Vote on Updated Elementary School Boundaries

(KNSI) – District 742 will bring its plan to change the boundaries for four elementary schools to a vote on January 22nd.

Superintendent Dr. Laurie Putnam hopes the move will prove to be wise as a proactive measure given the growth in the southern part of the city, which now has a high school and will soon have its own fire station.

She says, “The immediate impact won’t necessarily be felt next year, just based on the number of households that could potentially be impacted, but we know that we have to make some adjustments. When we look at where the development is, it’s really impacting the attendance areas of Oak Hills, Talahi and Lincoln.”

The zones would shrink for three St. Cloud elementary schools and send students living close to the I-94 corridor and into St. Augusta to Clearview Elementary in Clear Lake.

Putnam notes the move is not expected to force staffing changes as Clearview’s enrollment has fallen to exceptionally low levels.

“As an example, we had 14 students in our kindergarten class at Clearview this past year. Our target range is 18 to 21 and that’s still relatively small when you look at other districts around the state.”

If approved, there will be waivers available to keep families together. If an older student currently attends Oak Hill, for example, they can continue doing so and their younger sibling would be able to as well.

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