WHITEFISH - A meeting has been planned for Monday evening to talk about the future needs at Whitefish High School.
The event — which will begin at 6 p.m. in the Whitefish High School cafeteria — also will take a look at the expansion needs of Whitefish High School and its activities complex.
The district concluded and adopted a Long Range Facility Plan in the Fall of 2021. The recommendations “identified significant growth and critical needs of the High School as the top priority,” according to a news release.
A planning committee has been formed to identify needs, set priorities, and eventually develop designs and concepts for a potential bond request. School officials note that over the past decade the district has expanded from 1,567 students to 1,902 students with 2% annual growth expected.
The 600-student capacity at Whitefish High School has now been nearly met and district officials say that the facility is expected to exceed its designed capacity next school year. A news release states that Whitefish High School is already using six classrooms outside of the high school building.
District officials add that sports participation has grown by 25% over the last decade with more than 500 students currently taking part each year which has created a crunch on training space as well as limited seating for spectators.
“These are excellent challenges to have in a thriving community,” said superintendent Dave Means. “Input from a broad array of the Whitefish community is needed as we closely investigate the needs of the high school and activities complex. We really value input from the entire community as we look to the future together.”
Additional information about the growth in Whitefish schools can be found at https://whitefishschools.org/.
