FORSYTH - The "temporary" portable classrooms at Maroa-Forsyth Grade School have long been a familiar site.

One has been in use for 25 years, with two that are 10 years old and a new one just put into service.

During 17 consecutive years of growth, new houses filled with young families have sprouted on just about every available parcel of land in the district. Along with those families have come children of school age, more than the grade school could hold.

The existing school was built in 1928 and has been added on to seven times. It originally was meant to serve about 250 students. The kindergarten through third grade enrollment is 375 this year. Fourth- and fifth-graders attend classes in the intermediate school in Maroa.

"It hasn't been huge growth," Maroa-Forsyth Superintendent Mike Williams said. "It's been slow but steady, anywhere from 10 to 50 a year. We just outgrew the building."

The Maroa-Forsyth district already has built a new high school, which opened in January 2004. Ground was broken March 9 for an 83,000-square-foot elementary building in Forsyth. Plans are to have it open by August 2009.

The building will house pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, Williams said, with 40 classrooms, a library, media center, a 1,000-seat gymnasium, a commons/cafeteria area, fine-arts performance area, and designed so if expansion is required in the future, it can be done without resorting to portable or temporary classrooms. Expansion shouldn't be needed for a while, though; the new building can serve as many as 800 students.

Funding came from a half-cent increase in the village sales tax that voters approved last year, making Forsyth's sales tax 7.5 percent.

Space was the most critical consideration with the new building. Portable classrooms can provide desk space, but there was no way to add width to hallways or more restrooms to the main building, Williams said, and security also was an issue.

"Another thing we really like about this facility is, when you have all those portables and all those additions, security isn't what you would like it to be," he said. "Obviously, moving into a new facility, there'll be security cameras; the doors will be monitored."

Having all the elementary grades in one building will provide greater continuity for the students, and teachers will be able to work together more effectively, he said. Middle school students, sixth through eighth grade, will continue to attend classes in Maroa, where the high school also is located.

School board President Jim Peck attended Maroa-Forsyth schools and said having state-of-the-art equipment is something he's looking forward to for students.

Another feature of the new building will be air conditioning. Classrooms are air conditioned now, he said, but hallways, the gym, cafeteria and other common areas are not. The media center is another feature of the new building about which he's especially happy.

"Kids walk over to the public library (to use computers) now, and we'll probably still do some of that," he said. "(The library) is only a block away, and it's good to get them outside a bit."

Space is not only at a premium at the elementary school, but at the intermediate/middle school in Maroa.

"Our unit office is up there, and they're really cramped," Peck said. "We're going to do some remodeling to give them some more room eventually."

Maroa-Forsyth Elementary School Principal Rennie Culver said he's looking forward to having all the students together in the building.

"The children really like this building, and nobody's complained about it," he said. "But we need more space."

Valerie Wells can be reached at vwells@herald-review.com or 421-7982.