Even as the foreclosure rates in the St. Croix Central school district continue to climb and for sale signs sit in the yards of many houses, the district’s enrollment, instead of declining continues to increase causing facility space crunches in the district’s three campuses.

Since September, the district’s enrollment has gone up 18 students, and it is up 66 from January of 2009. There are no classrooms in the elementary school in Roberts not being used daily and the middle school and high school are also running out of “extra” space.

Looking ahead, the school board has called for district voters to decide whether they should purchase a house and lot located near the middle school that could potentially be used to house the administrative offices currently in the middle school.

To that end, there will be a special meeting of the electorate held Feb. 15 to authorize $105,000 to be spent on the building and property at 1325 Davis Street in Hammond.

“There are no immediate plans for the property,” superintendent David Bradley said. “One possible future use would be to use the house as the district office which would allow the current district office to be utilized for additional classroom space. Taxes will not be increased to acquire this property. Funding for the purchase will come from the fund balance in the general fund and will not affect the tax levy.”

The district had put in a “blind offer” to the owner of the property – an offer that was subsequently accepted.