Board hears capacity review after ninth‑grade move; officials say building can hold growth but bottlenecks and class sizes remain concerns

Hopkins Public School District leaders told the school board on Sept. 24 that after adding sixth grade to middle schools and ninth grade to the high school the district largely preserved program choices but is continuing to monitor class sizes, scheduling and building flow.

Superintendent Dr. Mary Peri Reid, Assistant Superintendent Nick Lightfoot, facilities supervisor Kevin Newman and Hopkins High Principal Ballard presented a multi‑part review of secondary building capacity. Facilities staff used conservative assumptions (an average of 25 square feet per student) and counted usable teaching spaces across the West, South and East wings. Using that conservative footprint, staff said the building could comfortably accommodate just under 3,000 students without including large open areas such as cafeterias, auditoriums or bleacher spaces; the presenter noted that Fire Marshal guidance (20 sq ft per student) would allow still higher theoretical numbers.

Kevin Newman described how the West Wing alone can accommodate roughly 1,300 students across identified teaching spaces, the South Wing roughly 1,075, and the East/Royal Athletics areas add further capacity. Newman cautioned the board that the district intentionally used conservative counts and did not include music, theatre, and some office spaces that could be repurposed.

Student board representative Manuel Wahu recounted being in a Language & Literature class of 41–42 students last year: “you get less one‑on‑one time with your teacher…grades will always come out slower,” he said, but he also noted that large classes can foster collaboration and independence. Staff pointed to flexible learning spaces and the district’s practice of using hallways and outdoor areas to reduce crowding and provide alternative learning stations.

Board members pressed for operational details: Principal Ballard reported a recent Friday enrollment pull of 2,046 students at the high school. Staff acknowledged pinch points — narrow hallways near the media center, long lunch lines, restroom capacity left over from earlier building configurations — and said some changes have been implemented, such as opening a second exit lane that reduced daily parking‑lot clear time from about 25–30 minutes to roughly 15 minutes.

Officials discussed options that would require larger capital work or city coordination, including realigning adjacent roads to create an additional exit and reconfiguring entrances near Door A and the cafeteria to improve flow. Staff said some modifications could also be advanced as part of future referendum planning but emphasized that many improvements would require significant planning and external approvals.

The capacity presentation concluded with staff recommending continued use of flex spaces and exploration of staffing and scheduling models that could lower section sizes where feasible; board members asked for follow‑up information on restroom counts, scheduling models, and any capital options tied to potential referendum priorities.

The discussion followed public comments earlier in the meeting from two students who raised concerns about bus wait times (20–40 minutes reported by students), long lunch lines and short passing time between widely separated classrooms.