Missoula County Public Schools
Board of Trustees Special Meeting
Facilities Strategic Plan
April 17, 2014
Trustees Present: Joe Knapp, Diane Lorenzen, Mike Smith, Julie Tompkins, Ann Wake, Marcia Holland
Others Present: Nick Salmon, Alex Apostle, Hatton Littman, Heather Davis Schmidt, Trevor Laboski,
Mark Thane, Burley McWilliams, Pat McHugh
MINUTES
Board Chair Joe Knapp opened the meeting at 6:01 p.m. Welcome to a Special Meeting of the Board,
number 4 of 4, part of an ongoing process. Trustees Smith, Tompkins, Lorenzen, Wake and Knapp are
here; others may arrive. While it is not on the agenda, we offer the opportunity for public comment on
anything not on the agenda tonight. Please state your name, whether you are representing an
organization, and keep comments to 3 minutes or less. There was no public comment.
Welcome Back/ Overview of Process Nick Salmon
Nick: Seeley will present first due to the long drive home. Nick explained that he was not able to come
to the Trustee meeting last week, because he was serving as facilitator for Learning Environments for
Tomorrow at Harvard, a weeklong institute bringing together 101 people from around the world, from 6
countries and 20 states. His group included the program manager for the New Orleans Public Schools,
which has $1.8 billion to figure out how to improve schools there. Two words describe the common
theme around the world: community and flexibility. The concepts people were talking about and
generating were about those two things: a high level of community engagement and flexibility. Nick said
he thinks some of the concepts you will see tonight reflect some of that same kind of thinking. As in the
other 3 sessions, he will give a quick overview of each school, then turn it over to the teams. Each will
have 10 minutes. In some cases there are one or two people, in some cases 5-6 people from the schools.
Present Top Ranked Options for Region 2 Facilities: Lewis & Clark, Paxson, Rattlesnake, Washington,
Hellgate High School, Hellgate Soccer, Hellgate Riverbowl, Seeley Swan High School, Dickinson Lifelong
Learning Center School Principal, Teacher, Student & Community Member
Seeley-Swan High School: Nick explained that it was built in the 60s at the request of the community
due to the long commute into Missoula; it was built and expanded. It sits on a very large parcel with
creekside access at the edge of town. It has a large open space for athletics and a heavily forested area
which is part of the learning environment. The original school was on a piece to the south. The other
segment to the north includes the gymnasium and music, then there is the shop building to the north.
The school was expanded at the same time as the urban high schools, and they built a public library, a
shared resource with the community and the school.
Their preferred alternative includes a place for performances associated with one of their two
gymnasiums.
Kat Pecora, principal, thanked Trustees for allowing them to go first. Kat introduced Crystal, one of
their committee members. One of the primary things they were concerned with was the cost of any
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renovation or building and consistency with needs of the community. When the original part was built in
1964, the blue and gold part, they had anticipated the possibility of a stage there on the edge of the old
gym, where the Board has met. It is the small gym, built with the intention of someday putting a stage
on the side. The building is built out of concrete block, but that wall is not. We combined that need with
some other needs we have. In the new gym, which is beautiful, along the back wall we have a health
room and a music room. The health room has no other doors or windows, and we would like to not use
it as a classroom for safety reasons. We would like to move it into the music room. It is right off the gym,
so it is fairly noisy for both gym and music and not conducive to student needs. We would move the
music room out to where the theater is for sound reasons primarily and also for the space. We could
feed three birds with one scone. We would have storage where the health room is now. There is no
storage in the building now. We have structures built in years gone by in which we keep things, but no
storage inside the building. The current health room could become a storage room. The current music
room would become the health room. We would build a theater on the side of the old gymnasium,
which gives us a theater and music room. These 3 concepts tied together in one nice package would
bring in the community and be a positive thing for the community, because we don’t have anything like
that in Seeley. The old gymnasium now has community concerts one Sunday every month. We had two
pianists from the University of Montana this weekend, who played in the gym. Community members
also use it for that. [Trustee Marcia Holland arrived.] We would love to be part of a community project
to get the stage built. We are excited about the process: it brought together community members,
business members, and educators and gave us an opportunity to really share what we are doing in the
schools. Kat thanked Nick for leading the process for Seeley; it has meant a lot to us and to community
members.
Questions: Knapp asked about what they currently do for performing arts. They do it on the gym floor;
they set up folding chairs, in the small gym.
Knapp asked about safety concerns and basic infrastructure. Nick replied that one concern is that the
main entrance still has just a set of stairs. Included in the cost is creating an accessible entrance to the
school. Also there is a need to create a secure waiting and vestibule area so people have to check in at
the front desk before they go anywhere else in the building.
Lewis and Clark: Nick explained that it is on one of the largest parcels for an elementary in the district. It
was built about same time as Sentinel High School in the mid-50s. It was expanded to the north in the
1960s: that addition has accordion walls which create pie shaped classrooms and a somewhat awkward
library media area as a result. The second story is inaccessible, no elevator. There is a very steep ramp
down into a very congested cafeteria. It is one of the few schools with a separate cafeteria from P.E., but
it is a very small space. From a general public perspective, the school appears to have several front
doors; it is confusing where to come in. There is a wonderful playground and outdoor exploration area.
They have a brand new boiler funded through a State of Montana Quality Schools grant. The rest of the
infrastructure is pretty challenged.
They have 2 preferred options: 1-transform what is there with a minor addition in the corner of the
building to create a more adequate lunchroom, not inaccessible, connected to the gymnasium, and
create a 2nd floor with grade levels and breakouts. They would take the current lunchroom, expand, and
convert it into a library at the heart of the school. At the south end of the building they would create a
breakout area, not long corridors. On the 2nd floor it would break down into 2 subgroups for grade level
groups to have greater identity and add an elevator. The 2nd option is to start over on the same site,
using the new concept of school focused on team-appropriate space with breakouts, organized around
the best 21st century thinking on the elementary level.
Susan Anderson, principal, introduced Tyrone, a parent on the committee.
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Tyrone is the parent of a past student at Lewis & Clark and a current student at Lewis & Clark. The
process: he was involved in three of the community/staff/parent meetings held to assess what works
and what doesn’t and what are our options going forward, and to boil it down to these two options.
These were the two that really resonated with parents and community members at Lewis & Clark. Kudos
to Nick for running great workshops, very well organized. We worked in groups with good mixtures of
staff, students, parents, and community members. Students were also encouraged to have their say. It
was a joyful process to be part of. He added to Nick’s description of the lunchroom: it is a dungeon.
There is no natural light in there. It echoes; it is not particularly pleasant. Both of these options address
that. Thank you very much.
Susan Anderson spoke about the Start Over option. We have had lots of comments about staying in
our current building. If construction was done on this building, that could happen. This option meets our
vision of an IB school because of the collaboration that goes on between our teams, and it puts the
library in the rich media center; that is what drives our program. All comments on this most expensive
option were that it is better in the long run, thinking ahead. Educational needs are changing. This does
not just patch up our old facility. We had lots of comments from the community and teachers about
that. In the spring especially we had drop off and pick up issues. There are so many cars. This one does
solve some of that. At the forefront of everything we talked about were safety and technology, recurring
themes. We are a school that loves green areas. In the bottom right corner, you see the Discovery Corps:
it is still there in each option; they love that. The Start Over option takes away the peace path: many
students and parents have a vested interest in putting a rock on the path that winds around. They love
that tie in to what children have done over time. They love this option; they are very interested in
having places for our psychologist, occupational therapist, CSCT programs, and SLP programs that really
meet the needs of all students in our building.
Susan spoke about the Expand option: it is a morphing of 2-3 options. Nick did a nice job of taking the
basic structure and giving us the green space. Our lunchroom is very dark and it echoes. We have 7 or 8
shifts of kids that come in and out; we do not have the space. We have 487 kids now; it is tight. Kids
cannot enjoy their food because of the time it takes for the lunch periods. We often have comments
from parents that they want them to relax and eat their lunch. In a space like that it does not feel
relaxing. In this option, there is an open dining area; we can access the space outside, and there is
natural light. The media center is in the center of classrooms. We did not like the barn door ideas or
sliding glass additions. We thought about safety in that area: you are visible; it is a glass wall. You could
shut off sections of that building. Collaboration areas are key. We love the expansion of the outdoors
area, and we don’t want to lose the peace path. Both are options. Susan said she could see people
getting behind both of those ideas. This one is the most cost effective.
Questions: Tompkins: does the second option take into consideration the cost of landscaping the space
the building used to be on, demolition and all? Yes, it does.
Susan: the more outdoor space we have that we can turn into learning space, the better. We have
the square footage. That is our direction, how many places we can get kids to learn outdoors. Nick: on
Tuesday when the weather turned brutal, he was bicycling out there, and kids were out doing very
active learning in all conditions.
Knapp: we have heard a lot about pick up and drop off; is that an issue? Nick: Yes; we would make
dedicated places for bus and parent drop off and staff parking. Some options do a better job than
others, but all address it.
Paxson: Nick explained that the original Paxson was the same plan as Whittier and Willard. It was
replaced 20 years ago or so, built on the same 2 acre site. It is fairly compact. It is one block from Bonner
Park, another ready resource, but it does not have onsite parking. They use parking across the street at
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the church and parking on the perimeter. It is a 2 story building with a very large gymnasium and an
adjacent multipurpose room. There is a collection of classrooms on the east side of the first and second
floor and a nearly free-standing music room on the 2nd floor.
As one of the newer facilities, the group focused on a single plan: to meet rising enrollment by
expanding the footprint to the east on both stories, creating breakout space, and to rethink the
perimeter circulation to create more obvious places to park vehicles and for buses to stop.
Kelly Chumrau, principal, introduced Gwen Jones, a Paxson/Washington/Hellgate parent who is very
supportive of our schools and very active with all 3 schools. Kelly said she is glad to have her as part of
our team.
Kelly: Paxson was rebuilt in 1992. Kelly read the thesis by Tina Karin Erickson, a student at the
university, about the rebuild of Paxson. There is a cool time capsule under Paxson. Kelly compared that
process with this one. In both situations, we have an incredible community that pulls together.
Neighborhood schools and community are important to us, the same as Nick heard when he was at
Harvard. There are challenges that have to do with the space, but also this is an incredible opportunity
for us. We have kids coming. Let’s deal with it in a thoughtful and mindful way. Agile environments are
important for us. To be able to have small group spaces and pullouts, we would add on in such a way
that we can cluster grade levels and have neat learning spaces. Paxson has nice wide hallways and
beautiful windows. It is centrally located, so lots of kids can walk and ride bikes. But from the population
maps we have studied, we have lots of kids coming and we need to be prepared. Every day she receives
at least one call from someone who is on the way to Paxson, a preschooler or someone from out of area
or out of district. We are excited that people want to come to our school but also worried that we don’t
have space. It would be great if we can serve our neighborhood kids in our neighborhood schools. We
don’t have any flexible areas. Twenty-three years ago, the group equipped our building with a nice
technology space, the multipurpose room, and the FRC. They wanted those great spaces, but they have
all been used up for classrooms. You will see students being tested in the hallway, where sometimes the
busy hum is not conducive for testing. We do need those spaces back. With this plan, we like the idea of
a general project area in the center, clustering kindergarten and first grade around, and having pullout
space for individual and small group work. The next page shows the upstairs.
Another option is for us to do the whole thing. If we are going to build now for a school to last 100
years, we should think ahead and add the upstairs. The only part we don’t love is that the music room is
in the far bottom corner. We like the way our music room works now.
A 3rd option is to work with Lewis & Clark and partner. If they could expand a bit since they have more
room on their lot, maybe we could move a grade level there or have a K-2 and a 3-5 school. It is not our
favorite idea, because it contradicts the idea of neighborhood schools and having our kids together.
Gwen added that there is a huge amount of community support for Paxson. It is a well loved school,
so close and walking distance for so many kids who are in densely packed neighborhoods. Six years ago
when they were selling raffle tickets, they met a family by Bonner Park who named their child Paxson. It
is a close knit neighborhood, in walking distance, and very urban compared to most schools. We use
Bonner Park and UM, and Paxson students can walk downtown. Because it is so urban, you can tap into
so many things right there. Though it is a new school and it is hard to pump money into a new school, it
is where so many kids are and it has such solid community support.
Kelly added that by 2016 we are out of space. We need another classroom and we are out of room.
Questions: None. Nick spoke about basic safety and security, which involves arriving in the building and
creating a secure waiting zone. This is a common theme in virtually all options.
Rattlesnake: Nick explained that this building was built as an elementary then expanded to be a middle
school, then it returned to being an elementary about a decade ago. He noted its proximity to Pineview
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Park and Rattlesnake Creek. Pineview has had a major upgrade in terms of a city upgrade to its play
equipment. It is a wonderful resource for the school. There is a memorial on the site for bodies
discovered when they expanded the school. It was adjacent to the poor farm and there were mass
graves; the people were reinterred into a nice memorial area when the school was expanded. The
school is skewed to the north-south orientation; there are some challenges to daylight control. On the
slide, Nick showed the original school; the expansion created a courtyard adjacent to the library; a
collection of rooms. There is a modular built 18 months ago due to rising enrollment. This group
identified that it was important not to have the safety and security issue of the separate building, the
modular. It is also inappropriate educationally to have people isolated from the rest. Also they will need
more space to meet rising enrollment. Rather than just adding 2 rooms, they came up with the idea of
adding 4 and modifying what is there to pull everyone into the same facility. These are just diagrams—
they are not solutions, not fully resolving every challenge. You can see a long list of items this group
identified. We are closer than we were months ago, but we expect many suggestions as we move
forward.
T.J. Decker, 1st grade teacher, and Tony Schuman, parent and businessperson, worked on the
committee. They talked about deferred maintenance and the boiler problem this weekend. The boiler is
50 years old, and it has about a 20 year lifespan. It is working now, but along with that, there are single
pane windows. Part of the roof and the gymnasium, an older gym, has had an ice dam on the back. They
are excited to know that the deferred maintenance would be taken care of with this plan. Security and
safety was a big issue. When we have lockdowns, we worry about the modular, which is a separate
building out on its own; it has a first and second grade classroom. We really want to have everyone in
same building. This brings us all together. Drop-off and pick-up is a problem: what is happening is that
the buses are on the north side. On the south on Pineview, there are sidewalks on the school side but
not across the street. There is no crosswalk coming up from Gilbert. Often parents are double parked; it
is a mess. They are really wishing for a pick up and drop off loop. Having a waiting area for parents is
another need. We have a very small lobby, and the office orientation is not set up well—it has a very
high counter, and kindergartners can’t see. There is a bit of a blind spot. Also with parents coming in
and chatting in the lobby, it gets loud down the hallway for older grades that stay till 3:30. This plan
opens up a waiting area, a covered courtyard outside for parents to sit. That will mitigate the noise and
the number of people. People ride bikes and walk; they want to come. If we can help with that, it would
be great. The pick-up/drop-off loop would be very helpful, along with changing staff parking.
Tony: of the cost of $6.7 million, half of that is deferred maintenance. We will spend it whether we
like it or not. Deferred maintenance is going to sneak up and bite you one of these days. He
complimented Nick on the process; it was very well done. To arrive at a reasonable conclusion, we did
not approach it from a “what we want” basis, but from a “what we need” basis. That is why we have one
resolution that covers a lot of things.
T.J. talked about creating more of a 21st century learning environment. Currently classrooms are
mixed, kindergarten and 5th grades are next to each other, and not all classes are close. Sharing students
is part of 21st century education. We have Walk to Read in first grade and we get to know all of them—
in a space like this, it would be easier. We realigned classrooms and put kindergarten together, 1st grade
together, etc. There is a huge breakout area for older kids to work in small groups. There is a floor with
a drain to be able to spray down and clean up, so you could do science or art. We have 2 special
education teachers. With 460 kids, we use every bit of space at Rattlesnake. It would be great to have a
space for lower grade special ed and upper grade special ed instead of sharing space. Other changes
include consolidating the lounge, the planning area, and changing the library. COW is the wave of the
future: the computer lab goes away and we do technology in the classrooms. We need robust wireless
so we can utilize the technology at the same time. Part of the plan talks about taking out the courtyard,
expanding the library and making it a true media center. There is a space where there is an open spot to
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show films and have speakers or presenters, making it so all the classes can use it. Also with that is
having the areas along there—right now in the old gym on the southwest corner, there are locker rooms
that are basically storage. We would like to have CSCT, counselors, therapists, and the school nurse all
together. They are currently scattered around the school using janitors’ closets as little offices. We are
looking at taking out the locker room, making a nice hallway with real offices and space for the people,
and realigning it so those professionals have a real working space. It would also be easier for young kids
to find them. As Tony said, we really took a very thoughtful approach. We would expand, just a little,
into the playground. We love where we are at Rattlesnake. We put in a garden a couple of years ago,
and we are close to Pineview Park. There was some concern about the loss of courtyard, but the plan
would incorporate light, etc. We appreciate your time listening.
There were no Board questions. Knapp thanked them.
Washington Middle School Nick explained that it was built as an elementary and expanded to become
a middle school. It has some junior high components. The annex to the north is based on the junior high
model for FACS and shop and music. It has a modular classroom as a recent addition to the east. About
half the site is open space. Floor plan: Nick showed the original building, with gymnasium and
classrooms, the addition, and the more recent addition, the modular. The 2nd floor has the library and
also classrooms.
This group chose two different options: 1-to consolidate into one entity for safety and security and
for making a more cohesive learning environment. As the diagram illustrates, music, art, and FACS have
visibility to the common space for eating, and the library would be in the center of the school. The
second floor would be primarily classroom space. One concept illustrates that. In the 2nd concept we
retain the gymnasium, the most significant piece of the recent addition, and build to the east; we would
convert the space to the west into open space. The concept shown earlier at L&C was one from
Portland, Oregon, that the group identified as a great school to use as a basic model. This model for
Washington is a school from Minneapolis that many of the groups said would work well; it is a place
holder.
Paul Johnson, principal, introduced Martha Goodloe, parent, and Gretchen Murray, librarian, who
were on our committee. Paul: for us to present after the elementaries is very good—all those kids are
coming to Washington. We are going to be full as we exist. The modular building holds 4 classrooms.
There is no running water in it and no restrooms; you have to go back into the regular building. The
annex, for FACS, shop, etc.—Gretchen has been there longer than he has—currently that has band and
orchestra, but there are no practice rooms, so when we are getting ready for solos we use bathrooms
and the front entry. The original building was built in 1950-51. The addition along Sussex was built in
1989-90. They pride themselves on their teams for over 20 years, but they have no break out spaces.
Teams are in hallways, gyms, or outside. Parking lot: those doors have to stay open during the day, and
it is a safety and security issue. When we had lock-ins during the robberies, we had to station people out
there to escort the kids back and forth.
Option 1-The committee suggested that we move the library to where the playground is. It would be
2 stories; natural light gets in. We would get rid of the annex and the modular, build proper music
rooms, and a proper front office; ours is currently not that inviting. Enrollment is projected to max out at
630, and we will be 610—we are adding 15 next year. We are adding 4-5 regular teachers to maintain
teams. First floor: 6th grade classrooms and purple breakout areas where teams can do group activities.
2nd floor: library in the middle, a 2 story fixture, and more purple spots, along with the 7th and 8th
graders. Office spaces: 2 CSCT teams share the same space. Three people share the school psychologist’s
closet, and two others share another closet; this would give us room for space for them. In our building
we still do not have the ability to get robust wireless due to the infrastructure and deferred
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maintenance. The little gym serves as a cafeteria. Glue was falling off the panels on Monday, and they
had to rescrew 15 panels so we could safely have kids in there. As the building sits now, there is not a
shower in Washington Middle School. Years ago even with two gyms, they blocked off showers for
storage. Paul said it shocked him when he first got there.
Then the committee talked about what we could do if we could really do things. Option 2: we would
build on the playground while we stay in the old building. We would keep the newer gym. It is rented
out almost every night by community groups. We would make a proper performance hall, a 6th grade
wing, an exploratory wing, a 7th grade area, and an 8th grade area.
Gretchen reiterated that in addition to the deferred maintenance issues, the leaky roofs, etc., the
safety issues in the courtyard and the modular, the cafeteria not being shared as the gym would allow
more gym space time during the day. Having the cafeteria where it could open right onto the
playground is part of both of these options. Performance space would be doubled. Teaming is so key for
middle school. Having work spaces and flexible areas is crucial for kids. If we are maxing out at 100 more
than we are at now, and we are using every bit of space now, we will have to do something.
Martha thanked Paul and Gretchen. As a parent who participated in this process, she wanted to say
that these two and others from Washington understand what is going on; they understand the dollars
and the needs.
Questions: Knapp said he is assuming the new model is 2 story? Yes. Is it the idea that it looks the same
on the first and 2nd floor? Nick: this is a school other teams identified as a positive model; the 2nd floor is
very similar. The auditorium, the gathering space is 2 story, this does a great job of illustrating the value
of working with grade level teams. Details to come.
Knapp: does it have showers? Yes.
Hellgate High School: Nick explained that we focused on the school; we also have softball fields and
soccer fields. The original school was built over 100 years ago, and it has been expanded in several
directions several times. It is a building that has subterranean boiler rooms and things with their own
challenges. The first floor has challenges of the entry coming off to the east with no adults anywhere
near; it is a very congested point. The administration is above the music area. Older entrances off
Higgins and elsewhere are closed off. There is a very wonderful courtyard between the original building
and the addition. There is a 1940s addition on the 2nd floor, and other spaces to the north. Science is in
the addition, and the library is on the 3rd floor. Classrooms are on the top level.
There are two preferred options. Option 1—Light Touch: we would improve the point of arrival off of
Gerald. We would improve the cafeteria, by having it more linked to outside learning spaces. We would
address a laundry list of other deferred maintenance and energy issues. So even Light Touch has a fairly
hefty price tag. The 2nd option integrated more items, so that even if you did Light Touch, you could
also do these other pieces in the future. This option includes an improved entry, the cafeteria, and
finding a way to create a more integral agile learning environment on all 3 levels. What if we got rid of
the gymnasium on the 2nd floor and added an auxiliary gym to the north of the existing gym, so we could
use the space more effectively as a library and gathering space? What if the 2 story gymnasium became
a dramatic feature within the school? We could rethink how older spaces are being used. This is just a
diagram; there are many improvements to be made.
Lisa Hendrix, principal, introduced Paul Keiper, one of 5 parents on our committee, and 3 teachers:
Karen Swanson, English, who has chaired our facilities committee; Dave Oberbillig, biology, our resident
green environmentally friendly expert; and Brian Hover, who teaches architecture and design. Five of his
students also participated on the committee. They met during lunch and have a presentation.
Karen thanked Kelly Chumrau. Karen said that as a parent, she sat on the committee when Paxson
was redrawn. They voted not to renovate. They did think ahead. They did not take into account the
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transiency of the people in this room. Karen noted that she is still here after 31 years, but the Board has
changed. Teachers bring a wealth of information about where things have been. The Board decided to
close Willard, and the next Board decided to close Roosevelt, and that impacted Paxson and its
enrollment. There was an earthquake when she taught at Rattlesnake, and District 1 instituted
earthquake drills; after Columbine, they instituted lockdown drills. She taught at Porter then, and the
location held more real lockdowns than practices. She hoped MCPS would continue to change and grow
with 21st century changes to safety, but it did not. After Sandy Hook, Apostle created safety teams.
Without fixing problems identified at Hellgate HS, we have moved on to envisioning facilities that may or
may not ever be created. We can’t do the price tag for these things; we can only pick and choose. At
Hellgate the physical building allows physical entrance to anyone with any passing knowledge. All
someone has to do is tap on the door and a kid opens it. The main doors remain open and unsupervised.
Parents can walk through hallways unchallenged. Staff members have been required to watch active
resistance training videos; they are historically the first to engage an intruder. Hellgate has many other
visions and needs, but Karen said she stands for protecting: we need a secure entrance, SRO visibility, an
airlock for heat loss, shatterproof windows, and to secure the courtyard from non-Hellgaters. We need a
means of sealing public portions of the building, so we can feel safe on weekends and evenings without
encountering strangers when we go to retrieve printing from shared printers or to the restrooms. We
can’t afford to harm MCPS staff and students because we did not follow the recommendations of the
safety study. She will not stand for continuing to leave her students unprotected, being asked to risk her
life and those of colleagues when MCPS did not take safeguarding buildings seriously.
Brian said he has talked with students and teachers about both options. Over the past few months,
he talked with many people. Many teachers and students he spoke with mentioned light touch as the
best option, addressing pressing needs for security, maintenance, and technology infrastructure. The
outdated network infrastructure needs to be addressed. Cabling currently creates a bottleneck.
Transferring one video file is enough to affect the entire building. Many teachers and students seem
apprehensive about the starting over model, in conducting major renovation and dedicating a
substantial amount of time and effort to a building that may or may not be supported by the public.
Other options have ways to leave the main building intact; he is not sure whether it is possible. Some
feel the spirit of the building may be impacted. Start over has a lot of possibilities—it is exciting, but
many are apprehensive. That might change if we have more drawings and do a better job of informing
staff and students.
Dave Oberbillig thanked the Board for its patience. With the variety of our presentations, you may
think we don’t talk about the process. Given the magnitude of this, probably the teachers have not
collectively had enough input. He reiterated what Karen said. He has had 3 principals at Hellgate HS, and
they all have done a great job. Some teachers have had 7-8 principals. The Board is transient. We are
there longer, on the front lines of teaching. He hopes the Board gives teachers the time in all the
buildings to delve into the process with their expertise. We are going to be there; we will be using the
buildings for a long time. He noted the expertise you have in the buildings about cutting edge 21st
century teaching. There are many environmental experts at Hellgate and in the district. The 21st
century initiative included green buildings and sustainability, and it mentioned conservation and
financial benefits about green and sustainable schools. Dave talked about the Start Over option: what a
great piece to put forward to our local community and also regionally and nationally to approach having
a zero net building at Hellgate. It is possible to do that. There are examples of significant buildings out
there modeled in that way. It is in and of itself an education to the students and the public. This is
within the city plan of having by 2020 about an 80% energy reduction, and also the university plan. We
would tie into the goals of our community. The Start Over plan is big and expensive. But Hellgate is the
flagship of our district, a beautiful building, tied to the city, the urban area, and the university. It is really
well loved by those who have been there and are currently there. It was built at the start of the 20th
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century as a really unique modern school, and we can recreate that as a 21st century model, as a top
shelf facility regionally in terms of technology, communications, and space. He hopes you will consider
that.
Paul Keiper, parent representative, spoke about location and our warm and inviting architecture. He
felt that both these options retained that. Paul said he is a graduate of Great Falls High School. He really
loves Hellgate HS. He is the parent of a senior and a sophomore daughter. He thanked Trustees for
allowing parents to be part of the process. It was very well run, and he hopes it is of value to you. He
wishes Trustees well as you raise funds from the public. He loves the architecture. He thinks there are
really great possibilities: taking the existing gym out, dropping a steel structure in and creating open
space, classrooms, and library. Parking is very important to the location. People complain about the
parking. It is tough; it is a challenge; but people do it every day—try watching parking in New York. It is
not quite at that level. His daughter has gone there 4 years and it has not been an issue. 2nd: the
connection to the university. His daughter has taken a couple of classes at the university. If you are
motivated, there are a ton of benefits to that location. He thinks this facility, as the oldest in the district,
has challenges. But what a wonderful gem—consider that as you go forward.
Questions: Dr. Apostle reminded the Hellgate HS committee that this is our first attempt to develop a
comprehensive facilities strategic plan that incorporates three very important areas: safety and security,
which we have never had a plan to deal with district-wide; district infrastructure as relates to
technology; and upgrading teaching and learning facilities. Those are the three areas we will put forth in
relation to a bond issue in fall 2015. In the 6 years he has been here, we have never had a plan. But we
are going to have a plan to deal with the issues mentioned.
Lorenzen said she thinks the teachers brought up an interesting point, before we get too far down
the road: a lot of teachers in the district have been in different buildings over the years and can see the
bigger picture of how the district and buildings work. She suggests we turn it over to the union for
comments about the whole plan and which schools really have needs. They are valuable and have been
all over the district.
Knapp said his comments will dovetail—as you all were talking today, and this is the 4th iteration we
have sat through, his impression is that what we have basically had is a challenge thrown in front of us
more than anything else. A challenge and an opportunity. If this is a 9 inning game, we have basically
gotten into the bottom of the 1st inning. To those who have participated, we will bug you and ask you to
stay in the game. There has been a lot of footwork, but a year from now we will have something
concrete to put down. It has not been easy so far. We have allowed individual presentations of
individual needs of individual educational communities, and now it has to all be put into an amalgam of
needs, priorities, and timing. There are so many processes. To Nick: this is incredibly complex. As a
father who has had 3 daughters go through the system over 30 years, he appreciates the fact of having
seen teachers who are in these classrooms day in and day out. To try get a handle on what is functional
and what is not, and what is necessary and what is not, this input is just starting; it is a first go round.
We come to it with an open mind, an honest appraisal, and a great willingness to collaborate with a lot
of give and take. The appreciation can’t be stated enough.
Dave Oberbillig said he really appreciates the comments. For many teachers, if you ask them whether
they would rather have a lot more money or time, most would say time. In this process teachers have
not felt they had time to create that input. Creating some space for teachers to do that district wide
would be great. People do move around, and they have impassioned ideas. Creating that space for us to
really dig into the possibilities would be a huge benefit.
Apostle: one of the things we are expecting is for advisory committees in each school to share this
with staff; that is part of the process. It is why you are representing your school, part of the process so
we can do what Lorenzen indicated: you have to share the information with the staff.
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Karen noted that we have done testing all week. If we can go back through what we have been asked
to do and when, we do not have a staff time with a staff that size. It is not a cut at Lisa or the process.
The whole thing has been very valuable. But the bigger the school gets, the less able we are to bring all
the staff together to talk.
Apostle: time is important and necessary to do what you are indicating. He is hoping you are spending
time communicating options, pitfalls, and ideas you have shared this evening; it is very important.
Dickenson Lifelong Learning Center: Nick explained that it is just off South 3rd; Curtis is on the west
edge; he pointed out the Coca Cola bottling plant. It was originally built as an elementary, expanded to
the east and to the north. Over the years that adult ed has been there, there have been additional
improvements to the site. There is parking instead of a play area. The gymnasium: the stage was
converted into studio space; the cafeteria was converted; flex rooms were modified over time. There is
a wide range of programs offered in the building.
Option 1- Light Touch includes plans to make better use of the gymnasium, with flexibility for big
groups and small groups; in the space on the north end, to create on a scale conference size rooms for
adult education; and addressing deferred maintenance and other items. The 2nd option is to do
something in collaboration with other entities on the Brooks corridor—to give the adult ed program a
very visible location in the community, and to put it in a place where the skills acquired can be applied
to businesses and other places in proximity.
Monique Fortmann, Director of Adult Education, said the adult education program has some unique
needs and serves a different population. We do not have a captive audience. We cannot see the growth
by looking at birth rates. It is a demand-driven program. We try to provide great customer service in
what we are doing. We need to be centrally located to pull people to our location. They offer vocational
and avocational opportunities, from art to computer technology, from basic skills classes to preparation
for postsecondary education, and high school equivalency diplomas. The committee identified specific
unique needs of our adult population. At the top of our list when looking at all the options are the
following items. 1-it should be centrally located. 2-it should be an adult environment—that means you
walk into a space that doesn’t feel like a school, but like a professional environment. Adults work all day,
and the last thing they need is to walk into a room with stuff all over the walls/stimulation. 3-there
should be ample parking. 4-there should be a variety of learning spaces. Currently we have one size of
classrooms. 5-we are out of space where we are. We probably need about 50,000 square feet. We are
restricted in what we do. We use a variety of facilities around the community, but every time we do, we
encounter difficulties, like little chairs. We need adult furniture. We serve 6-8,000 unique individuals in
over 1500 classes each year, with 7 to 30 in each class. Flexibility is key to us being able to provide
services.
Our committee is supporting two options. First is the out of the box option: though we are not
necessarily sold on this particular diagram, a completely new facility that has all of the elements she
mentioned. They started with one classroom and one office in the Vo-Tec in the 70s. When the district
closed Willard in 1989, adult ed moved in in 1990. As soon as that happened, interest and growth grew
immensely. In 2001 we moved from Willard into the Dickinson Lifelong Learning Center. We have taken
elementary school buildings and invested a great deal of funds to turn them into an adult environment
more conducive to our population. The out of the box option is one of the most exciting to us. It gives us
the opportunity to provide what we provide to our adults now in a great environment and in
collaboration with our partners in the community. Option 2: light touch—we have expanded the
parking already and improved clerical and customer service. Here we are looking at our classrooms. At
the north end there are two classroom spaces with no sound barrier. We struggle to offer two classes at
same time, because the instructors’ voices carry. So we would like to provide a seminar space for
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smaller classes and have sound barriers for the 2 classrooms. We can put a class in the gymnasium with
only 15 students in it, but it is taking up space.
Questions: Lorenzen: is your building fully accessible? It is; it is a huge bonus.
Holland asked Monique to go back to the original drawing of the current building: all the brown stuff
is playground equipment area? Monique: it is leftover playground equipment. We don’t have a sprinkler
system.
Holland: when Porter presented, they indicated interest in the building if you were able to move
somewhere else. This location is much closer to their population. Will Nick be explaining the
overarching picture of that, how to swap a school out? If change is made and we are not doing it on
site, we would have a displaced population while the school is being remodeled. Nick: the Steering
Committee will tackle that in the next 6 weeks or so. If a new location for Lifelong Learning can be
found, when no one is in the building it could be used for a temporary school while another is being
worked on. Then it could be replaced with a middle school setting and we could move middle school
students in. You want to utilize buildings as long as you can and to avoid temporary buildings and
modular classrooms.
Holland had a connected question about playground equipment and a possible need for it later. Nick
replied that this is no longer viable playground equipment.
Tompkins asked if there was a consolidate option for Dickinson; it was in the handout. Nick replied
that there were discussions about other partners in the community that might be a partner, but
Monique’s preference is for the two options illustrated.
Conclusion
Nick stated that we are done for the day. He reflected on the Learning Environments for Tomorrow
conference. Almost all the leadership of that graduate school of education and of design put it on. Any
time there is significant change in facilities, there needs to be concurrent professional development
associated with that. If we say 5 years from now we will have student and staff focused spaces but we
do nothing professional development-wise, people will move into it and do things the same way as
always. You are well on the way with PLCs and the clarification of the 21st century plan, which will
provide clarity for the work over the coming years.
Smith: thanks to parents and staff; he asked them to pass on our appreciation. Each committee at
every building has done a lot of work, and there have been a lot of meetings. It really is an entirely
immense undertaking to work in this direction. The fact that we are moving in the right direction says a
lot for the direction of the district. Smith asked Nick what happens next.
Nick: the last time the Steering Committee met was St. Patrick’s Day. It was clear from that work a
month ago, in which we asked them to prioritize all these options on the wall, that there were some
subcommittee meetings needed with the City of Missoula, the university, and others. Those meetings
are being scheduled now so that we can reconvene as a Steering Committee and look at that. The
Steering Committee will look at the requests, recognizing that they are more than the funds available,
and make sure everyone is having their core needs met and high priority items addressed. Once the
Steering Committee has gone through those, they will be able to report back to the Board with their
recommendations.
Nick explained that the communications rollout is also being worked on. There are very specific
events we are expecting. There will also be some polling of the community to make sure that the broad
voice of the community is heard related to impacts on the community; we expect that in January
because of the significant polling fatigue we will all endure between now and November due to Senate
races and initiatives. The communications specialist recommends we do it after that. The legislature
convenes next January, and raising the bonding limit is a possibility. You can now access only 50%. We
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imagine at the end of next year’s legislative session, you will be asked to say here is the final number we
believe the community will support to tackle this specific list of items, and take it to the voters for fall
2015.
Smith recalled that there was some discussion as to shaving off parts of the facility plan we can deal
with before the legislature. Is that still under consideration? Nick: part of this effort is funded through
the Quality Schools Planning Grant. They have just opened up the planning grant process, and we are
likely to pick an item we think would give the community some evidence of how we can solve some of
these things and pursue technology grants. In pulling those components together, we should be able to
illustrate the direction and impact we hope for.
Knapp: thanks to Nick; this is a lot of work.
Public comment: None.
Knapp: we appreciate all the input from the people who have put in the time. It is an enormous
undertaking. It is for our community and our children.
Apostle thanked the staff and parents who are here. He knows it is long and difficult work. We have to
stay the course for our kids.
Board Chair Joe Knapp adjourned the meeting at 7:43 p.m. Thanks to all.
As recording secretary for this Board meeting, I certify these minutes to be a true and correct copy of
what was taken at the meeting.
______________________________
Elizabeth Serviss, Minutes Recorder
______________________________
Joseph Knapp, Board Chair
____________________________
Pat McHugh, Board Clerk
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