Mandan’s New High School

March 2021 Looking Into The Buildup On A Potential New School

On April 13th, 2021, the Mandan Public School District will conduct a special election regarding a proposed $84 million bond for a new elementary and high school. This comes as the school district is continuing to grow. Out of the total $84 million bond, $69 million of that bond would go towards the new high school. The other $15 million would go towards a new elementary school. In order for this bond to get approved, at least 60% of voters would have to vote in favor of the bond. However, the bond would also lead to property taxes being increased by $119 for every $100,000 of value. Late last year, surveys were sent out to Mandan residents, with a majority supporting the decision of building new schools. This comes as Mandan High School and four elementary schools are over capacity. The High School has been around since 1957, and is due for an upgrade. However, bringing the high school up to code would cost $20 million. Although the $20 million would be needed to bring the building up to code, this would not add a square foot to the building. This also comes as the Mandan School District is looking to grow by another four hundred and sixteen students. Even though the debate over a new school has been ongoing, a rising concern over the current state of Mandan High School is the increase of attendance. It would cost $62 million in order to renovate and expand the school to accommodate the growing number of students. — Ryan Ulrich, Sports and News Editor A location for a new high school has not been decided, but three possible spots are being considered. These locations include; north of the current middle school, directly west of the current high school, or NW of the current high school, but south of the interstate. Although April may be an odd time to hold a special election, the timing of this election is crucial as it could lead to doing potential sight work in the fall of 2021. This could lead to the new high school opening up by 2024. Some may question the timing of this election during the midst of a pandemic, however a big factor that will impact the future of Mandan High is the 65 year old boiler room, as in order to keep the current building significant investment would need to be put into the school. Otherwise building a new high school would be the other option. If a new school building were to be built, the old building would be torn down. However, the all-seasons area and braves center would not be torn down, only the main high school building. April 13th, 2021 will go down as a key date for the future of Mandan High School. The result of the Special Election vote will determine the future of the Mandan School District for many years to come. Photo acquired courtesy of the Mandan Historical Society A conceptual design of Mandan High School before opening. Over time, the building would be heavily changed and altered. Photo by Ryan Ulrich The front entrance of Mandan High School today. *Information gathered from information provided by the Mandan School District.*