Superintendent Dr. Brian Copple and Middle School Principal Tiffany Otto are pictured at the new middle school which is nearly complete. The construction crew will have its work finished by May 13. A bid to lay asphalt on the driveway/parking lot will be decided at the next school board meeting, furniture is being moved in, landscaping, and miscellaneous work are all that remain to be done. An open house will be announced this summer.
Plans for the construction of a new middle school on the Gallatin R-5 campus were first introduced in October of 2014. Initial plans for a two-story building were revised to a one-story building. Costs starting in excess of $1 million were lowered to a more acceptable range.
On Aug. 18, 2015, the Gallatin R-5 Board of Education approved the sale of $790,000 lease certificates of participation to its municipal bond underwriter, L.J. Hart & Company of St. Louis. The certificates were for the purpose of funding the site development, construction, equipping, and furnishing of the middle school building. Project financing involved lease-purchase terms over a 15-year payoff period.No increase in school taxes was necessary, nor was a bond election required.
General contractor was Kendall Schoonover of Wilcott Construction, Inc. Project superintendent for the general contractor was Dennis McMillian and architect was Edwin Korff of Prairie Village, Kan. 
Construction of the new middle school at Gallatin R-5 Schools became official July 3, 2015, with a groundbreaking ceremony on the school campus. Following opening remarks by incoming R-5 Superintendent Dr. Bryan Copple, school board members fanned out to handle shovels with various other project officials. Shown from left, are R-5 Middle School Principal Tiffany Otto; outgoing R-5 Supt. Dennis Croy; school board members Dr. Bill Irby, Amy Heldenbrand, Jesse Bird, Jeffrey Donovan, Tim Bradford, Trent Dowell, Brice Terry; incoming R-5 Supt. Dr. Bryan Copple; general contractor Kendall Schoonover of Wilcott Construction, Inc.; project superintendent for the general contractor Dennis McMillian; and architect Edwin Korff of Prairie Village, Kan.
