September 7, 2021
Minot Public School District awarded 10 million dollars in federal funds
Minot Public School District #1 (MPS) has been awarded $10 million in federal ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) III Funding from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction.
ESSER III, is the most recent national school relief funding passed in March as part of the American Rescue Plan. These funds are available for K-12 schools to use In COVID relief and recovery efforts until September 2024.
"We are so grateful that we are receiving these federal dollars to help us make necessary improvements in the district," said MPS Superintendent Dr. Mark Vollmer. "The school board and district have been working on a long-term plan to alleviate overcrowding in the middle and high schools while providing a safe learning environment for all kids in the district."
MPS will use the federal dollars to assist with funding for the upcoming School Realignment Project, which involves remodeling and adding school facilities to create a third middle school and two nine-through-twelve grade high schools in Minot. In addition to ESSER III funding, the school district was recently gifted the 115,000 square foot Cognizant building for $10 providing approximately $14 million in savings toward a second high school.
All expenditures with ESSER dollars must be COVID-related and prevent, prepare, and respond to the pandemic. The MPS School Realignment Project will improve air quality and air handling in three MPS buildings and add significant square feet to the new building, dramatically improving the ability to social distance. A third middle school will also allow the district to vacate the fourteen portable classrooms at Jim Hill.
The mission of the Minot Public School District is to empower all learners to succeed in a changing world, with a vision of assuring learning for life-long success. MPS District has thirteen elementary schools (grades K-5), three middle schools (grades 6-8), and a high school divided between two campuses (split campuses serving grades 9-10 and 11-12). Three schools (two elementary and one middle school) are located on Minot Air Force Base. MPS also operates an Adult Learning Center.