If a community task force has its way, Austin Public Schools could be radically changed within the next couple of years.

A facilities task force charged with finding a solution to the district’s increasing enrollment and facility capacity issues has finalized a proposal for the school board which would include a new school building for grades 5 and 6.

“We believe this plan gives us enough flexibility and enough options,” said Mark Stotts, district finance and operations director. “As long as we stay under this recommendation, we can address all (concerns).”

Stotts will bring the group’s proposal before school board members during their April meeting next Monday. Board members won’t discuss the proposal until later this month at a special session, according to Dick Lees, the board’s vice chair.

The board has the final say as to whether Austin will go with the group’s plan.

A new school

The largest part of the proposal is a new school specifically for fifth- and sixth-graders. Elementary schools would host first through fourth grades and Ellis would host seventh and eighth grade under this plan, which would take care of space concerns at the elementary and middle school level. Where task members disagree is whether the new school would be built next to Ellis on land the district already owns or somewhere else in the city.

The plan would also involve an expansion at Woodson Elementary School, where up to 20 classes would be added, a remodel would be done and the school would shift its main office closer to the entrance.

District officials estimated the plan’s rough cost to be about $34 million. The increase would vary depending on the value of a home, but Stotts said people who own homes valued at $125,000 could expect a tax increase of about $100 in a bond referendum.

One of the task force stipulations is that district officials don’t pursue any project more than $30 million, however. They also want district officials to analyze how whatever solution board members decide on would affect the district’s finances and operations before moving forward.

If board members decide to move forward, they would have to put the issue before Austin residents this November as a bond referendum, to see whether people would accept the estimated small tax increase.

Solving facility problems

The task force’s consensus on the plan is a welcome conclusion for Stotts, who has organized and counseled the group for three months.

The district’s student population has been on an upswing since 2002. A 2009 demographic report shows that, based on Mower County birth records and the district’s high student retention rate, 300 to 400 more students will be going through Austin schools five years from now, with more projected student increases in the future. A recent facility usage report showed every school except for Austin High School at or over capacity, with some straining to fit students this year.

The incoming space issues aren’t due to new families moving into the area but rather families that have been here for a while and are having more children, according to Stotts. If nothing is done, the district would have serious space concerns.

“When I say space issues, I mean … I’m not sure where we would house all these kids,” Stotts said.

Board members have been aware of the issue since last year. At least four board members have attended at least one task force meeting, giving their own input to the task force and listening to what community members have to say. Although board members still have to discuss the task force proposal, board members seem pleased with the task forces’ decisions.

“I feel it’s a very good proposal myself,” Lees said. “Pretty much everybody (on the task force) agreed this proposal would work out the best.”