ROYAL CITY - With Supt. Rose Search calling it a "temporary" fix, the Royal School District has ordered four portable classrooms to alleviate crowding at Red Rock Elementary and the middle school.

One double-wide, two-room building will be placed at Red Rock. The other will be placed between the middle school and high school in case the high school starts to need more space.

The school board made the portables decision at its last meeting, in February. School officials expect the crowding to remain the same or grow next fall.

There was an important space move this year when the district experienced its biggest kindergarten ever at 152 students. The school had to hire a seventh kindergarten teacher and make room for her by moving the district pre-school to the United Methodist Church.

"I'm really pleased were going to have more space," Red Rock principal Theresa Eilers said.

The board has been asking for a construction bond to build new classrooms but has been turned down by the voters. It may try again in April.

Search said the Community Communications Committee will discuss the issue about mid-March. The board will likely tackle it at its March 26 meeting.

The new classrooms are coming from Pacific Mobile of Marysville, which made the double-wide that is now the Royal City Community Center. The buildings are 28 feet by 64 feet with classrooms of 28 by 32.

Each classroom will have one bathroom. It will be shared by boys and girls.

The building cost is about $100,000 each. Site preparation and placement will cost about $50,000 each. The total estimated cost is about $300,000.