West Bonner explores middle school options

PRIEST RIVER — Almost five months after West Bonner County School District’s trustees voted to close its junior high school to students, the board has circled back to considering the future of the building. 

“I would not negate any discussion item,” Board Chair Margaret Hall said at an Oct. 16 meeting. “When you’re brainstorming, you put everything on the table.” 

The building hasn’t hosted students since school let out last spring. Staring down a budget crunch, trustees voted in June to consolidate 7-12 graders at Priest River Lamanna High School for the 2024-25 year.

Recent board meetings have examined possible uses for the space — including relocating district administration to the building, using the school as a career technical education hub, returning junior high students to the facility, and selling the property. 

Hall suggested the district should encourage stakeholders to share their visions for the future of the building before any decisions are made. 

“I don’t want to make a decision without community input,” Hall said. “We need to start thinking about it because next year is going to be in front of us before we know it.” 

“Discussion on use is great, but also we need to look at what modifications do we need to make to the building for whoever is going to come in or whatever we decide to do with it,” Superintendent Kim Spacek told trustees. Spacek added that the aging building may be in need of accessibility and boiler improvements before it can be repurposed. 

With students absent from the building, trustees examined the idea of winterizing the facility to save money on heating costs. Currently, youth and junior high athletes practice in the building’s gymnasium. 

WBCSD anticipates receiving funds for improving facilities through House Bill 521 in the near future. Whether the money is spent on one facility like Priest River Junior High or spread across several buildings is up to trustees — who have continually reiterated their commitment to taking public input into consideration.

“It has to be a community decision. It can’t just be the five of us saying it,” Turco said. “We want to hear from everybody and make sure we’re making the right choice for this town.” 

District officials are encouraging members of the public to participate in the Nov. 13 facilities committee meeting; an online form to facilitate community feedback is available on the district website at sd83.org.