VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Valley City school board continues to move cautiously on whether the district should build a new school or repair their existing facilities.
Superintendent Josh Johnson told the school board that construction cost per square foot have increased dramatically since last August. He urged the board to pause any decisions indefinitely due to high construction cost estimates.
Johnson said there’s some support in the community to build a new K-12 structure, but the 4-12 and 7-12 options remain on the table. He said there will be more public input meeting scheduled in the future and will be announced at a later date.
Johnson said nothing has been finalized and the school board continues to discuss all future options available for the school district.
In November of 2021, Rob DeMeuse of School Perceptions, the firm hired by the school district to conduct a public survey, told the school board that he doesn’t believes there’s enough support, at this time, for a referendum to pass with the current options on the table. But, Superintendent Josh Johnson said staff members and parents of students supported moving forward with a referendum. Johnson said according to the School Perceptions survey, those 56 and older, who are not staff members or parents of students are opposed to a referendum.
The Valley City Public School District conducted a community survey back in October of 2021 to find out what direction the public wanted to pursue. The survey centered on building a new structure or repair existing facilities.
