HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-21-22 PCC Minutes 1
Belgrade / Bozeman / Gallatin County Planning Coordination Committee
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 11:30am-1:00pm
RESOURCES:
Materials: https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/5ffb58c2-fb38-41da-a3be-8086d157b2b4
A great demographic resource - Here is an interesting resource for our discussion on Tuesday. This is
part of the US Census population clock at https://www.census.gov/popclock/.
01:57:46 PM (00:00:00) Meeting commences
• 01:59:02 PM (00:01:17) Introduction
o 01:59:16 PM (00:01:31)What is the PCC?
o 02:01:00 PM (00:03:15) Each school has been asked to discuss four points:
Current trends – Enrollment
Enrollment Projections and Facility Needs
Locations for Future Projects
Near-term Projects/Updates
• 02:02:15 PM (00:04:29) Bozeman School District – Mike Waterman & Casey Bertram
o Current trends – Enrollment
7,200 K-12 students. Is the 4th largest district in the state of Montana.
o Enrollment Projections and Facility Needs
Handed out sheet that shows enrollment history, projections, and building
capacities.
• Red lines represent the middle school
• Green lines represent the high school – there has been steady increase
in enrollment
• Blue lines represent grades K-5 – there was a decrease in enrollment in
2019, but enrollment is rebounding
A decrease in live births & the cost of housing leads to a leveling-off in the
projected enrollment numbers
o Locations for Future Projects
Elementary #9, middle school #3, or high school #3 – when those schools will be
built, there are a few parcels that would be well suited.
Bus barn facility by the Billings Clinic – an RFP will be put out to locate employee
housing there
Cottonwood & Durston – is a possible location for a West-side library or pool
Phase 2 of Bozeman Sports Park – adding turf space is important to the high
school campuses
Highland & Kagy – was recently sold back to the original owners.
o Near-term Projects/Updates
Affordable housing is a big issue with recruitment and retention.
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• 02:16:44 PM (00:18:59) Monforton School - Darren Strauch
o Current trends – Enrollment
Is a K-8 school. 2019 was the first time enrollment dropped in recent years.
However, the decrease was only 10 students.
Have had 4 building projects in the last 11 years.
o Locations for Future Projects
No current plans for future
o Near-term Projects/Updates
It is tough to be competitive in bidding on land. There will be upcoming
discussions about repurposing the existing sites. Parking capacity and traffic
flow are challenges.
Legislature increased bonding capacity a few years ago, which helped the
school.
• 02:22:05 PM (00:24:20) Headwaters Academy- Gennifre Hartman
o Current trends – Enrollment
Enrollment has gone from 30 to 92 students. Now full & has a waiting list for the
first time.
Is an independent school for 6th- 8th grades
o Enrollment Projections and Facility Needs
School is capping enrollment at 92 students.
Several teachers sold their houses & moved to other regions. They’re looking for
teachers.
o Locations for Future Projects
Would like to have a gym or field space, but there are no current plans.
• 02:25:35 PM (00:27:50) Belgrade School District - Mark Halgren
o Current trends – Enrollment
Experiencing a slow but steady growth rate.
o Enrollment Projections and Facility Needs
Enrollment hasn’t kept up with projections. It has been a few years since a
projection has been completed. There are plans to do a new one in the coming
years.
There was 3% growth at the elementary.
They anticipate growing by 50 students at Story Creek Elementary.
o Locations for Future Projects
60-acre site off of Frank Rd – Could facilitate more than one school. Perhaps a
new elementary and middle school. Money to purchase the land comes from a
bond passed years ago but that does not include the cost to construct the
building.
Existing, older school buildings in town would need an update to serve as a
school. A proposal has been made to the city to vacate Broadway between two
of the buildings.
o Near-term Projects/Updates
Staying ahead of boundary changes
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• 02:36:15 PM (00:38:30) Peak Potential Academy - Christa Hayes
o Current trends – Enrollment
4th-8th grades attend the school
The school uses flexible tuition and intend to continue to use that system in
order to not only cater to high income community members
The greatest demand is 6th-8th grades
o Enrollment Projections and Facility Needs
They only have a couple spaces left for the coming school year. The school is
restricted by space & has been searching for land or buildings to buy.
Looking to partner with local schools to meet facilities demands.
o Locations for Future Projects
Currently on a multi-year lease. For about a year, they have been searching for
land or a building to buy.
• 02:40:13 PM (00:42:27) Home school enrollment numbers
o 2020-2021 school year – enrollment was 1,470 students in Gallatin County
o 2021-2022 school year - 950 students were enrolled at the beginning of the year. 1,147
students were enrolled by the end of the school year.
• 02:41:25 PM (00:43:40) Questions & Answers
o 02:41:34 PM (00:43:49)Has the Big Sky High School had an effect on Bozeman High
Schools?
In MT, a student can attend school outside of the district where they live.
Bozeman schools tend to not allow that & practice closed enrollment.
o 02:43:09 PM (00:45:24) Question for independent schools – What do you see as the
reason for increased enrollment?
Very few families are new to the area. Many have been living here for a while.
New families do like to use the school as a community resource. Covid had an
effect on the desire to utilize independent schools & increased demand.
o 02:45:29 PM (00:47:44)Question about the boundary of Monforton’s district.
o 02:46:38 PM (00:48:53) Seeing a difference between capacity & enrollment. Would the
city consider open enrollment?
Currently, it is open for staff members. Most requests for open enrollment are
for the middle school & charter school. Recent legislation is trying to figure out
how capacity/facilities/capabilities can be shared between schools.
o 02:49:15 PM (00:51:29) Would either Bozeman or Belgrade’s school districts consider
open enrollment or redistricting?
It may make sense to look at Irving School because their enrollment has
changed drastically. In Belgrade, minor adjustments were made to balance
enrollment. But, there are no plans to use open enrollment.
o 02:50:55 PM (00:53:10) Any plans to look at farm or garden related programs?
Partnerships with Gallatin Valley Farm to School exist currently. Serves local
food in cafeterias. Monforton School has tried farm related activities before, but
the short growing season in Bozeman limits the program. In the past, those
types of projects turn into weed patches. Peak Potential Academy works with
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local partners to work on stewardship in addition to gardening. Belgrade has a
greenhouse.
o 02:55:49 PM (00:58:04) What has been done to encourage exposing students for the
building trade?
At Belgrade schools, students have been involved with building and plumbing.
There is low interest among children. This year, two students were involved
with the program. In Bozeman, the partnerships within the community have not
existed. There is a stigma that college is the only path forward, rather than
apprenticeships or dual-credit programs. Trade related pathways should be put
on middle school students’ radar in order to have interest in high school. Peak
Performance is happy to be involved with community to expose children to
many trade options.
o 03:01:31 PM (01:03:45) How is the flexible financing program funded at Peak Potential?
The budget is tight, and they do sometimes rely on donations. The operating
budget is based on the number of dollars that come in.
o 03:02:41 PM (01:04:56) What are the federal/state/local programs where money can be
found?
Federal funding is typically in response to crisis & fill immediate needs. They
aren’t well suited for long-term planning. Grants are useful for smaller amounts.
Relying on local donors can make a difference.
03:05:43 PM (01:07:58) Meeting adjourned