MOORHEAD – The Moorhead School District added 331 students to its total enrollment Tuesday, almost 120 more students than anticipated for the first day of the school year, lending more urgency to the district's request for voters to approve $78.2 million in school bonds this fall. The big bump in students in kindergarten through grade 12 pushes the district's overall student count to 6,259, making it the highest enrollment for the district since the mid-1990s, Superintendent Lynne Kovash said. "We had been watching it. We had added four teachers earlier this summer. We were pretty sure it would end up exceeding what we expected," Kovash said. "We're going to take some time and look back over some of our birth rate data ... just to be sure we're on the right track" for enrollment projections, she said. School district enrollment was 5,285 students in 1989 and rose to 6,242 in 1995. It then steadily eroded to a low of 5,255 in 2005, before swinging back up, district records show. Moorhead schools have added more than 540 students in the past two years, records show. The biggest increases have come in the elementary grades. This year's kindergarten class opened with 576 students, compared with 506 last fall. Moorhead added all-day kindergarten in 2013, and this is the third year running that the kindergarten class has topped 500 students, district officials said. The large kindergarten class required adding two classrooms of kindergarten in August. Because of space shortages, all kindergartners now go to Probstfield Elementary School, which is in the Probstfield Center for Education. This year's kindergarten class at 576 is the largest by grade level. First grade is the second-largest at 523 students, with second grade at 522 students. The eighth-grade class is the smallest among all of the grades at 426 students, records show. "Our schools are over capacity," Kovash said. "This demonstrates the importance of the work done last year by the facilities task force and the need for the upcoming bond referendum."
The school district is asking voters to approve a $78.2 million school bond issue during the Nov. 3 general election. If approved, the bonds would be used to build a new K-4 elementary school, build a fifth- and sixth-grade wing onto Horizon Middle School, and remodel and make security upgrades at all district schools, Kovash said. Moorhead's Horizon Middle School has 1,344 students enrolled, 20 more than last fall's opening day. Moorhead High School opened its doors to 1,720 students, which is up 74 from last fall, records show. Kovash toured all of the schools and said they are humming along well, but she urges parents and others driving in school zones to be careful. "A lot of traffic. I know the first day, so many parents bring their (children) to school. I hope that people will be patient," Kovash said. "Take your turn in the parking lots and remember, we have little children." Related: DGF to ask voters for $31.4 million to deal with growing enrollmentMOORHEAD – The Moorhead School District added 331 students to its total enrollment Tuesday, almost 120 more students than anticipated for the first day of the school year, lending more urgency to the district's request for voters to approve $78.2 million in school bonds this fall.The big bump in students in kindergarten through grade 12 pushes the district's overall student count to 6,259, making it the highest enrollment for the district since the mid-1990s, Superintendent Lynne Kovash said."We had been watching it. We had added four teachers earlier this summer. We were pretty sure it would end up exceeding what we expected," Kovash said."We're going to take some time and look back over some of our birth rate data ... just to be sure we're on the right track" for enrollment projections, she said.School district enrollment was 5,285 students in 1989 and rose to 6,242 in 1995. It then steadily eroded to a low of 5,255 in 2005, before swinging back up, district records show.Moorhead schools have added more than 540 students in the past two years, records show. The biggest increases have come in the elementary grades.This year's kindergarten class opened with 576 students, compared with 506 last fall. Moorhead added all-day kindergarten in 2013, and this is the third year running that the kindergarten class has topped 500 students, district officials said.The large kindergarten class required adding two classrooms of kindergarten in August. Because of space shortages, all kindergartners now go to Probstfield Elementary School, which is in the Probstfield Center for Education.This year's kindergarten class at 576 is the largest by grade level. First grade is the second-largest at 523 students, with second grade at 522 students. The eighth-grade class is the smallest among all of the grades at 426 students, records show."Our schools are over capacity," Kovash said. "This demonstrates the importance of the work done last year by the facilities task force and the need for the upcoming bond referendum."
The school district is asking voters to approve a $78.2 million school bond issue during the Nov. 3 general election.If approved, the bonds would be used to build a new K-4 elementary school, build a fifth- and sixth-grade wing onto Horizon Middle School, and remodel and make security upgrades at all district schools, Kovash said.Moorhead's Horizon Middle School has 1,344 students enrolled, 20 more than last fall's opening day. Moorhead High School opened its doors to 1,720 students, which is up 74 from last fall, records show.Kovash toured all of the schools and said they are humming along well, but she urges parents and others driving in school zones to be careful."A lot of traffic. I know the first day, so many parents bring their (children) to school. I hope that people will be patient," Kovash said. "Take your turn in the parking lots and remember, we have little children."Related: DGF to ask voters for $31.4 million to deal with growing enrollment
