Independent school to move

The Whitefish Independent High School is moving into the new high school building when it opens in 2014.

The Whitefish School Board voted 5-2 last week to relocate the independent program, which will be housed in a separate area of the new building. Trustees Charlie Abell and Shawn Watts voted against the move.

The board and an ad hoc committee have spent the last few weeks weighing the decision by meeting with students, parents and staff of the independent school.

“This is hard in that the program is truly important,” Superintendent Kate Orozco said. “We heard from a group of folks that the program is so critical for kids learning, for safety and community. We heard others say that, however, space matters and being separate really matters.”

The independent section has been figured into the overall $19 million budget for the school’s construction. The cost of moving the school into the new building is roughly $450,000.

The board weighed the cost of keeping the current building operational to retain the program with uncertain future budgets. The current building’s roof will likely need repair or replacement as it leaks. The sale of the current building has also been suggested as a way to add to funds for the new school.

Abell said the maintenance costs occur at a new building, just as they do at an older building.

“Don’t be under the impression that new buildings don’t have maintenance costs,” Abell said.

Watts said there is too much ambiguity about potential costs to remain in the current building.

“I think it’s a roll of the dice either way,” Watts said. “This is difficult either way. There is far more ambiguity around whether the program is in jeopardy in its current location. I’m going for what seems to be better odds.”

The school board is finalizing design plans for the new building and had to determine whether or not to include space for the independent school in those plans. The board was expected to vote on design plans Tuesday after presstime.

Current design plans show the independent school being located on the end of one wing of the school with its own entrance and parking lot. Based upon student suggestions, designs have been updated to include landscaping to create a visual separation. The landscaping is to mitigate the impact of the independent students being a distraction as they operate on a separate schedule from the high school.

A few folks put in a last minute pitch telling the board to keep the independent school in a separate building.

John Wilson said if it hadn’t been for the independent, his daughter likely wouldn’t have graduated.

“To her, being separate was what mattered — to get away from the high school,” he said.

Orozco said the message she has heard from parents and students is that if the independent moves into the new high school it should remain private.

“The charge was clear from students and parents that there needs to be some assurances on the part of the school district that the independent high school would in fact remain independent with a separate administrator, some protection around privacy and independence, and a separate set of governing rules and a completely different educational delivery,” she said.

Some of the trustees said the decision comes down to education rather than just dollar figures.

“I have a hard time looking at this as a financial deal — it’s about the kids,” trustee Shawn Tucker said. “From a financial side I look at the numbers, but I think they’ll work themselves out.”

Trustee Heather Vrentas said the board doesn’t know whether it would be able to support the program in a stand-alone building based on future budget constraints.

“It’s $450,000 now to keep the program and keep it developing, as opposed to three years from now we could be in a really tough spot (to continue it),” she said. “It is for the kids and financially.”