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Sophia Aldous
Future of facilities still up in the air
PRIEST RIVER – Hard decisions were at the forefront of the West Bonner County School District board of trustees monthly meeting Wednesday, Nov. 20. In light of the recent $1.13 million supplemental levy failure in the Nov.5 general election, trustees are considering the possibility of closing the junior high to all use and closing at least one of its elementary schools. Discussions were also held regarding creating two budgets for the 2025-2026 school year, one that reflected the loss of this year’s levy and one that would show what the budget would look like if the district was able to pass a levy in May 2025.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, community member Dana Douglas expressed disappointment that the district did not release an official statement after the levy was defeated 4,332 (52.49%) to 3,921 (47.51%). Douglas said the results will require trustees to think, “financially and not emotionally.”
“I hope you are swift and fast in your decision making and don’t hold back,” Douglas said. “As upsetting as that is, we need to keep educating the community on how public education is funded.”
The district held a facilities committee meeting Wednesday, Nov. 13, which received poor attendance according to community member Anne Wilder and trustee Ann Yount, who both voiced frustration that such an important issue facing the district should have received more involvement.
“The general consensus is that this (facilities) meeting was dire, but I was one of only eight at that meeting,” Chamberlain said at the Nov. 20 board meeting. “Frankly, I was disappointed to see that.”
Chamberlain recommended to the board that Priest River Junior High be closed completely and rented out to other organizations for events and activities. Former WBCSD trustee and current Priest River City Council member Sandy Brower echoed that idea, suggesting that allowing a charter school to rent space from the district might help with some extra income.
“I wouldn’t have supported this idea in the past, but it could alleviate some of the financial burden,” Brower said.
Facilities director Ryan Carruth said at the Nov. 20 meeting that $3.87 million in state funding from HB 521 wouldn’t be enough to fix the district’s schools. He recommended the district focus on improvements and repairs to the HVAC, plumbing controls and roofing and windows at the high school and Priest River Elementary. He also pointed out that by law the money can only be used for repairs and maintenance for facilities, it cannot be used on extra-curricular activities or anything else.
“I understand the idea of going forward with two budgets and I think we should run another levy in May, but we have to go forward assuming that money isn’t there, because right now, it isn’t and that’s where we unfortunately have to operate from,” Yount said.
Former teacher and current Priest River City Council member Candy Turner said that while she, “hates the idea of what you (trustees) have to do, you have no money, and you still need to think about what our students need and not so much about sports programs.”
Priest River Lamanna High School Principal Matt George said that while the junior high building is no longer home to classes, sports practice still happens at the facility. He said if the junior high building is closed completely then it puts junior high and high school sports practice and events at odds with one another, especially if the decision to close or not is delayed.
“I know this is hard, but if you put it too far down the road and the decision is to close it completely, then your athletic directors are scrambling to put practice and games in other facilities and work out timing in the middle of winter sports,” George says.
The school district is seeking input from the community for ideas on the future use or function of the Junior High Building. Community members are encouraged to share their thoughts and suggestions to help shape the building’s role in the district’s future. To participate, go to www.sd83.org and click on ‘FORM’ under the Welcome to West Bonner County School District 83 banner.
The next trustee board meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 18 a 6 p.m. at the Priest River Lamanna High School cafeteria. The public is always invited to these meetings.
*SOPHIA ALDOUS IS A MURROW NEWS FELLOW WORKING DIRECTLY WITH NEWSROOMS AT THE NEWPORT MINER AND RANGE MEDIA THROUGH A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. HER REPORTING IS AVAILABLE FOR USE VIA CREATIVE COMMONS WITH CREDIT.
