Recent news articles tell the story of a growing community. Building permits are up in Moorhead, a new grocery store will be part of the south Moorhead community, and more houses and apartments are being built. This growth also is seen in Moorhead Area Public Schools. We have kindergarten, first and second grades each with about 500 students. In the late 1990s we had about 400 students in each grade. Our enrollment is no longer declining. It is growing, and so is our need for space. We have used every space possible for classrooms, and we continue to look for ways to be efficient in our planning and use of space.

We are excited about the future of Moorhead Area Public Schools and the future of Moorhead. Our families and students deserve appropriate facilities. We are excited about our facilities master planning process and will share information from the community task force’s work over the next few months. We need input from our community to help guide the path we will take into the future. Should we have a kindergarten center, should we build a new elementary school, should we add on to Horizon Middle School, should we build another middle school? Those are all questions we will wrestle with over the next few months. It is important to gain feedback from all community members to make the best decisions for our students’ future, our district’s future and the future of our community.

We also have to make sure that we keep providing opportunities for our students to be prepared for their future. We need to continue to discuss how technology is used in our schools and how do we engage and motivate our students to be prepared for their future. These will be questions that we need to consider over the next few months. We need to make sure our students have the best education they can possibly have to be prepared for a world that is constantly changing.

Last legislative session, the World’s Best Workforce legislation was added to Minnesota state law. Our district has worked over the last year to provide guidance and pathways for students to be college, career and life ready. Our students have opportunities to earn college credit while in high school through Advanced Placement classes and Post-Secondary Enrollment Options. Students can experience careers through a mentorship program or work experience program. Those experiences will be expanded, and we hope to provide more experiences for students to be collaborative and use critical thinking skills, creativity and communication skills. We want to make sure our students are well rounded and strong citizens in our communities.

At the State of the District session at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at Probstfield Center for Education, I invite you to take part in the discussions about the future of our school district. RSVP by calling 218-284-3400. We will have the opportunity to talk and discuss the needs of our students and the community. I hope you will have time to meet with us and take part in the future of Moorhead Area Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lynne A. Kovash, Superintendent

Moorhead Area Public Schools