On July 1, Daryl Mikesell started as the new superintendent of Clancy Elementary School, where he taught for six year before becoming principal at Jefferson High School and then the Montana City School.
“It’s really good to be back,” he says. “It’s really a homecoming for me.”
Now, it’s down to business. Mikesell and the Clancy school board face the challenge of sustaining academic quality amid a growing community and student population — including the possibility of more out-of-district students — that threaten to strain the capacity of existing facilities.
The school anticipates 375 students will enroll for the 2024-2025 year. That’s down slightly from 390 a year earlier, but up 12 percent from the 336 students it instructed in 2018-2019.
In December, 2022, anticipating continuing enrollment increases, the school board commissioned SMA Architects, a Helena-based firm, to conduct a building assessment, researching options for a potential enlargement of the campus.
In its review, SMA presented the school board with options that ranged from building two new classrooms, at a cost of about $1.5 million, to a complete rebuild of the school, which the firm estimated would cost a little over $33 million.
“The board has really done a good job in preparation for possible expansion,” Mikesell says. “With the SMA Architect’s review a few years ago, there are plans we can go to right away if we need to.” Mikesell says he and the board are also prepared for the financial aspects. “We can probably get the two classrooms done with mine monies if we need to,” he said, referring to revenue from the state metals mining tax. “Maybe even do some of the interior work, like carpets,” with a combination of mine funds and owed back taxes.
“What we don’t want to do,” Mikesell said, “is go to the voters with a bond measure. That is really the last resort.” The construction of an all-new school, he said, was an unlikely outcome.
Mikesell said that sustained enrollment of 400 or more could trigger a decision to act on SMA’s recommendations. “You know, when we reach that 400 number, I think that’s when we might go back and look at the plan and see what we can do.”
The new superintendent and the board also are weighing the possibility of adding a literacy program for 4-year-olds, like the one that has seen some success at Boulder Elementary School. Clancy parents said they were interested in developing a similar program, according to the SMA report.
“We have two available classrooms right now for overflow, if we should need them,” Mikesell said. “We might be able to use those for a program like that, but then we don’t have our overflow rooms.”
Having a plan, though, gives Mikesell and Clancy School a lot of confidence as a new school year and a hard-to-predict future awaits.
