2022-2023 Community Survey
Families and community members, in 2019, voters rejected two facility referendums for Dickinson Public Schools. As District leaders, we acknowledge and respect this decision. Since that time, we worked with various community groups to better understand what options we should explore to address the following challenges.
Surveys will arrive in local mailboxes around May 8, 2023.
PLEASE COMPLETE THE SCHOOL SURVEY BEFORE MAY 22, 2023.
*To learn more about district finances and facility needs, please take a look at the 2021-2022 Annual Report.
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FAQ
✓ We need more space. Student enrollment is up 42% (1,100 students) over the past ten years and expected to grow by 300 students in the next four years.
✓ Major building systems (such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, and electrical) have exceeded their service life and need to be replaced.
✓ Security updates are needed to better monitor and control visitor access.
Our plan to address these issues must reflect the priorities of all our taxpayers. Since the previous referendums failed, we began using other facilities in Dickinson, partnered with businesses, expanded online course offerings, and added courses for high school students at Dickinson State in an effort to better utilize our facilities and partially address space issues.
Despite these efforts, a significant investment beyond what we can cover in our annual budget is needed to update/expand our buildings. This would require 60% of our voters to approve a bond referendum.
Yes. Your feedback is kept confidential. All survey data is returned to School Perceptions, an independent education research firm.
To receive the survey in a different language or if you have a disability that makes it difficult to read, please contact the District Office at (701) 456-0002. Survey results will be reported at a board meeting later this spring and will be available on the District’s website.
The survey code can be used only once. To obtain additional surveys for other adults in your household, please call the District Office at (701) 456-0002.
Out of Space
➢ Our high school is expected to be over capacity next school year (2023-24).
➢ Incoming classes are larger than graduating classes.
Failing Building Systems
➢ Fire alarm system is outdated/failing, and fire protection systems do not meet codes.
➢ Heating, cooling, and exhaust systems are failing.
➢ Electrical panels/distribution systems need to be updated.
➢ A secure, main entrance needs to be
created to improve safety.
➢ Restrooms need to be renovated.
➢ Many areas do not comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) codes.
➢ The roof leaks in multiple areas.
If the community supports pursuing a referendum, a base plan was developed to address the most pressing needs.
Renovate and Expand the High School
✓ Remove the classrooms pods and expand the school to accommodate enrollment growth.
✓ Remodel classrooms in the 1996 addition.
✓ Create a secured main entrance.
✓ Update plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems.
✓ Replace roof sections.
✓ Improve ADA accessibility.
Estimated cost: $69 million
➢ Instruction is taking place in spaces that were not designed for learning (such as stages and administrative offices) because of enrollment growth.
➢ Four of our six elementary schools are out of space.
➢ Five elementary school main entrances need to be reconfigured to improve safety.
In addition to the base plan, there are two options to address the capacity challenges at our elementary level.
Option 1: Expand Heart River Elementary School
✓ Add classrooms and restrooms.
✓ Build a secure entrance where all visitors would check in.
Option 2: Build a new elementary school on the northwest side of town. This would include:
✓ A decrease in class sizes at all elementary schools.
✓ Moving the preschool classrooms to elementary schools.
✓ Up-to-date safety and security systems.
✓ Dedicated gym and student commons area.
✓ Energy-efficient systems and natural lighting.
✓ Minimal disruptions to learning while the school is constructed.
Option 1
Option 2
RESOURCES
Funding Support Information
*Information can be found in the following guidelines from ND Tax Department & NDCC.
*The average true and full values per acre for Stark County (which is published by the North Dakota State Tax Commission) are $675.87 for cropland and $153.60 for non-cropland.
Market value, as defined by the International Association of Assessing Officers, “is the most probable price expressed in terms of money that a property would bring if exposed for sale in the open market in an arms-length transaction between a willing seller and a willing buyer, both of whom are knowledgeable concerning all the uses to which it is adapted and for which it is capable of being used.”
a. Market value is the same as true and full value for residential and commercial property.
b. For assessment of residential and commercial property, the assessor must first estimate the market value of property
The starting point of the assessment of real property is true and full value. For property classified as residential or commercial, true and full value means its market value. Market value is the price a property would bring if it were offered for sale in the open market for a reasonable length of time and purchased by a willing buyer from a willing seller, both parties being prudent and having reasonable knowledge of the property and neither being under undue pressure to complete the transaction.
Valuation and Assessment of Real Property
All property is subject to taxation unless exempted by law. [N.D.C.C. § 57-02-03]
a. Personal property, except that which is assessed by the state board of equalization or which is subject to an in-lieu tax or a tax imposed by a specific provision of law, is exempt from ad valorem taxation. [N.D.C.C. § 57-02-08(25)]
b. The property tax is levied against the property, rather than the property owner.
Assessed value is 50% of true and full value of property. [N.D.C.C. § 57-02-01(3)]
Example: True and Assessed Full Value x 50% = Value $50,000 x .50 = $25,000
Taxable valuation of each class of property is determined by applying a specific percentage of assessed valuation. [N.D.C.C. § 57-02-27]
Residential property is 9% of assessed value, commercial and centrally assessed property and agricultural land is 10% of assessed value is taxable value and is what is multiplied by the mill rate to determine taxes.
Please refer market value questions to the following websites:
- City of Dickinson: www.dickinsoncity.northdakotaassessors.com
- Stark County: https://stark.northdakotaassessors.com/ or https://itax.tylertech.com/starkND/
- Dunn County: https://dunn.northdakotaassessors.com/