A Bend-La Pine Schools committee is forecasting the need for more buildings to accommodate student growth in the coming years. The Sites and Facilities Committee studying the issue said, as the population continues to grow, there will be a need for increased building capacity beyond the next decade.

Basing its report on Portland State University’s Population Research Center projections for the area, the committee said the district will need three new elementary schools, one new middle school and one new high school to serve students in the next 20 years. Acquiring land for future projects is the district’s biggest concern. With no immediate need for new schools in the next ten years the committee will focus on smaller district land use.