A 10-year master facilities plan for the Rapid City School District's schools and facilities will be presented tonight at the Board of Education meeting.

Prepared by MGT of America, the study provides an assessment of the condition of each of the district's schools. It also looks at how well each of these buildings meets students' educational needs.

"All of this information will help the Board of Education develop a master plan for facilities," school superintendent Peter Wharton said in a news release. "We know the community is growing, and we know our buildings are aging. We need to plan accordingly."

According to Wharton, the study will guide the board as it considers changing school assignments and boundaries, closing aging schools and building new schools down the road.

The presentation of the study comes at the tail end of several millions of dollars of budget cuts to next year's operating budget. Closing Horace Mann Elementary School made an initial round of proposed cuts but was excluded after the board received intense criticism from the school community that the decision was too last-minute.

In the MGT study, Horace Mann, and the other 23 schools in the district were rated in several categories, including condition, suitability, technology and site scores. MGT officials will explain the ratings and their recommendations at tonight's meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Central Administration offices on the second floor.

Wharton said parents and community members have had a chance to participate in the development of the MGT study; the firm hosted community meetings at various schools earlier this year and encouraged feedback on the recommendations.

Wharton noted that facilities improvements are paid for from the district's "capital outlay" fund. By law, the funds can only be used for expenditures on buildings and durable goods that will be used for several years.

"We can't use capital outlay for salaries and other operating expenses," Wharton said, "but by investing in more efficient buildings, we can save operating costs, improve student achievement and create better working conditions for our staff."

Wharton said he's confident in MGT's assessment because of their history of assisting school districts in 49 states assess facilities and plan for the future.

"They know what's going on around the country and we will benefit from their expertise," Wharton said.

Contact Kayla Gahagan at 394-8410 or kayla.gahagan@rapidcityjournal.com