The Rapid City Area School District school board members have an ambitious, $200 million blueprint in front of them to help guide them through the future needs of the district.

The plan, the MGT Facilities Plan (by MGT of America), was a year in the making. Considering the financial shape the school district is in, it should be many years in the implementation.

Now is the time for the community to pay attention to the Rapid City School District and get involved in the process. This plan calls for a major remodel at Central High School, the construction of a third high school, some elementary school closings and redistricting. Dakota Middle School may be closed, Canyon Lake Elementary may close, and other elementary students may be consolidated into a single building.

Like we said, it's an ambitious blueprint for the future of the district and will affect thousands of students and parents not to mention taxpayers.

Rapid City is growing and we don't doubt the school district facilities are in need of upgrading. And considering the way the population has grown in different areas, the discussion of closures and redistricting is understandable.

Implementing this plan will be a slow process and riddled with landmines as members of the community with an interest in the school system are faced with changing schools and funding remodeling projects and asking - as they should - why?

As the discussion and implementation of this plan progresses, we hope board members and the public ask some serious questions. For instance, why spend $26 million on Central High School and then go on to build a third high school?

Central is crowded but does the student population really call for a third high school?

As we see it, the students who will fill the high schools in 10 or so years are in elementary schools now, and those aren't overflowing with students or there would be no discussion of closures.

Where is the district falling behind? As it plans millions of dollars in renovations to accommodate student numbers, what's being missed? Would it be more practical to renovate rather than close a school, for example, and spend money on technology upgrades?

Constructing a new structure is much costlier than refurbishing an existing one.

Is this plan the "Cadillac" version for the Rapid City school district? Should a more conservative plan be pursued?

We're sure the community has many more questions and those will be asked as time passes. But like we said, now is the time to pay attention and get involved. The last thing you should see a year or two down the road is change and not have realized it was coming.