ByHOUGHTON — Houghton-Portage Township Schools will host a series of community sessions starting later this month on elevating education, including addressing space issues within the district.

“We want our community there, and we want to get as many voices in the room as we can,” said Superintendent Anders Hill.

Enrollment is up roughly 100 students from a decade ago. The district is looking at ways to optimize its space and possibly add on to existing buildings. The need is greatest at the elementary school, consultants said in a presentation to the school board in September.

The following month, the board voted to have Superintendent Anders Hill explore and evaluate potential district facility expansion and bond planning, especially at the elementary school.

“We’re trying to address issues with spaces and growth and really trying to look through a lens of how we solve those problems, but also how we elevate the education … we’re trying not to come in with thinking we have to do A, B and C, but trying to listen to our community, teachers and parents, and find out what’s needed and what’s going to make education better in Houghton,” Hill said.

The sessions start on Feb. 21 with one centered on the history and the challenges leading up to the current moment.

Feb. 28’s will be discussion-based and open-ended, hearing ideas on how to address the issues, Hill said.

In the final meeting on March 13, the community will hear from architects, engineers and construction managers on how the ideas they identified at the previous meeting might come together.

Hill said the overarching theme is how to elevate education for all students while also being accountable to the taxpayers.

“We need to make sure we’re good stewards of what we have, and asking in the right way that they see the value,” he said.

After the sessions, the district will put together steering committees to further hone the idea. Ultimately, the board would have to approve a proposal and whether to send it on to voters.

The full schedule of meetings:

• Feb. 21, 6 p.m., in the elementary school cafeteria: History and Our Challenges

• Feb. 28, 6 p.m., in the high school library: Creating a Vision for Elevating Education in Houghton

• March 13, 6 p.m., in the high school library: Concepts & Feedback.

For more information, contact Hill at ahill@hpts.us or 906-482-0450 ext. 1030.