By Christine Erntson, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
June 14, 2021 | 8:30 p.m.
During their meeting on June 3, 2021, the PACT Charter School Board of Directors unanimously approved to move forward with a school expansion plan. The plan focuses on building a separate secondary building and doubling the size of the student body across K-12. If all goes as expected, the new facility will open in August 2023.
In a survey conducted by an expansion task force, more than 73% of PACT parents, students, and staff are interested in expanding academic and extracurricular offerings at the Secondary level. Some initial conversations are to create a College in the Schools program, expand electives to include hands-on trade options, and reduce class sizes across K-12 by doubling classrooms and teachers.
The location of the new secondary building is yet to be determined, but seven sites in Ramsey have been identified as possibilities. PACT has maintained a robust waitlist since opening in 1994, and an expansion will allow many more students from the community to attend. If approved for 2023, the 2023-24 school year enrollment lottery application will open on September 1, 2022.
The next steps in the expansion process will be site selection, refinancing bonds, and determining programming and staffing needs. Once plans are formalized, Bethel University (authorizer) and the Minnesota Department of Education will need to approve the expansion before moving forward.
PACT will be retaining the services of J.B. Vang Development Management Services to assist with the expansion project.
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