Public Attends MPS Facilities Projects Open House

Minden Public Schools invited the community to attend an Elementary Facilities Project open house on February 8 & 13. An estimated 80 people attended the first evening and 60 the second evening.

The open house began with a tour of East Elemen- tary led by East Elementary teachers and staff. Com- munity members learned when each addition was built, classroom square footage, enrollment size, and what each space is used for. Tour guides answered questions and conveyed their concerns about the building in its current state.

Tables in hallways are a common site as paras use these common spaces to help students because there is no classroom space for this purpose. Despite moving preschool to the elementary school in an effort to pro- vide services to more students, 20 students had to be turned away this year for lack of space.

Safety is a concern with no sprinklers in several parts of the school, no fire lights in some classrooms, and alarms that are difficult to hear if classroom doors are closed. The front office is inconveniently located to en- sure visitors check-in creating another safety concern.

Several classrooms have leaks behind the walls that have resulted in mold. Many ceiling panels have been replaced with grates and hoses running into trashcans to collect roof leaks. The building has spotty internet at times, not enough proper storm shelter space, asbestos tile, and overall not enough space to meet the growing needs of the school.

Check February 22 edition of the Courier for the full story.