By Christine Erntson, marketing and communications coordinator
January 25, 2022 | 8 p.m.

PACT continues to drive toward an expansion that will allow us to open a Secondary Campus in the fall of 2023. This growth opportunity is exciting for our current students and allows more students from the area to get off our waiting lists and into our classrooms! The new location will expand our program offerings, build extracurricular programs, and increase our reach and reputation in the community. 

Land Location

The land parcel PACT is interested in is the 18 acres between Central Park in Ramsey and the St. Katharine Drexel Church property. It’s located on 161st Ave NW between Armstrong Blvd NW and Variolite Street NW. The parcel has a beautiful line of trees and wetlands and provides a gorgeous backdrop for the new Secondary Campus. A land purchase agreement has been drafted and reviewed by both parties. Once the City of Ramsey approves our plans, the land purchase can be finalized.

Secondary Building

The PACT School Board of Directors has created a Facilities Committee and appointed 13 staff and parents to work on the physical plans for the new site. They are meeting at least weekly and are currently determining the footprint of the building so building plans can be sent to the City of Ramsey in mid-February 2022. The City should be looking at the proposal in early March 2022.

Current plans for the new Secondary Campus include more classrooms, a larger and more open library media center, more art/industrial classrooms, a football stadium, a track, two gyms, and a large auditorium. This dream has been shared with the architects creating layouts for the new building. Costs will be determined once a design is set, and budget approvals will need to be finalized. 

Programming

With input from the parents on the Secondary Programming and Curriculum Committee, administration and teachers have been working hard to determine class offerings and electives at the new Secondary Campus. Many of these decisions will affect building design and space needs. The challenge has matched the excitement of more electives with core classes, graduation requirements, and keeping our non-school Fridays. Exciting offerings are being planned in all areas but especially in concurrent enrollment and more hands-on courses.

Staffing

Staffing will need to double across K-12 between 2023 and 2028, including teacher, para, and school support roles. In addition, some positions will be responsible for both campuses and will commute between the two. 

Enrollment

The current expansion plan allows PACT to increase our grade sizes by 100% between 2023 and 2028. For the Secondary Campus, grades 6-9 will be expanded by 50% - 100% in the first year, and each of those grades will then feed into the next grade as they advance to the next level, until we are at total capacity by 2028. This leaves open the possibility to grow faster based on interest and capacity.

On the Elementary Campus, grades K-2 will double by two sections, and grades 3-5 will gain an extra section in 2023 to increase by 50%. The classrooms will then increase in the years following until we reach four sections for each grade level.

While filling all the classrooms immediately would be exciting, a growth explosion could tax our resources and weaken our ability to provide an exceptional education. PACT could also see a significant culture shift. While filling the classrooms will remain a priority, and we hope to see rapid positive growth, the School Board and Administration, along with the guidance of our Authorizer, will consider what is best for all students and staff.

How You Can Help

A marketing and enrollment plan is awaiting final expansion approvals as well as the opening of the lottery application. If everything goes smoothly with the building and site plans, we hope to open the 2023-2024 lottery application on May 1, 2022. As a choice school, the best marketing plan is always word-of-mouth, so please help us spread the word. This includes positive reviews on websites like Niche, GreatSchools, Facebook, and Google; and sharing posts and information with friends and family. 

Also, please participate in ImPACT Night meetings! Our committees have been intentionally created for the overall benefit and needs of PACT, but without parent involvement, our committees are not as successful. We need parents helping with events, fundraising, programming, and budgets. There is just too much work to be done and we can’t do it without you!