New Prairie schools asking voters for $42 million for construction

About 80 percent of the work to be financed over 16 years would occur at the high school, built in 1968.

Superintendent Paul White said a new auditorium would have 1,200 seats, more than double the current number.

That would solve occasional problems of not enough seating for events staged by the growing fine arts program and meet a desire to have the entire student body in attendance for certain functions. White said the existing auditorium would be converted into an additional classroom and storage for band and choir.

Opponents, such as Mark Pahs, have little, if any, doubt the high school could use some major work, but question the need for some of the things on the drawing board, such as a new auditorium.

Pahs said more seating can be provided simply by moving those events somewhere else in the school.

‘‘We got a gymnasium that can do that very easily,’’ said Pahs.