BOISE, Idaho — During a meeting Wednesday night, people in Nampa raised concerns about the Nampa School District's proposal to close several schools because of low enrollment.
It was the first time, aside from regular school board meetings, that the community could ask trustees questions and voice their worries. Several dozen people were at the meeting, including teachers, coaches, parents and kids.
Administrators propose the school district will shut down either Greenhurt or Centennial elementary schools, Snake River Elementary School, Central Elementary School and West Middle School, district spokesperson Kathleen Tuck said.
The district currently has about 13,000 students. Ten years ago, there were 15,000. Tuck said lower birth rates are just one contributing factor to the dropping numbers.
"We're not seeing as many of the families with young children moving in as some of our neighboring communities are seeing," she previously told KTVB. "And then, of course, there's also a lot of charter schools and private schools and online schools as parents have more options and choices on where to send their kids."
Tuck said they started considering closing schools several years ago. But at the time, he said they had enough money from the state and federal governments to keep all the schools open.
However, that is no longer the case since Idaho changed its funding model from enrollment to attendance and federal COVID-19-era programs are over, she said.
"When you're running a school at 40/50/60% capacity, that's not optimum," Tuck said. "It's not really good for our taxpayers; it's not really good for all the things that we want to do with our kids. So, it's much better if we can consolidate them. It's much more fiscally responsible, and it helps even out our class sizes."
People who spoke at Wednesday's meeting raised concerns about how moving schools will potentially negatively impact students.
"Every time I go to [my kids' school], we feel connected to the community," one mother said. "We feel that we're a family and that we have a home here. And I'm afraid that if you take that away from my kids, that my kids aren't going to thrive the way that they are."
Another community member agreed.
"Think about the impact on our children," she said. "Their routines disrupted; their educational journeys abruptly directed. It's not merely a change in schools. It's a disruption is stability, something fundamental for our growth and our development."
The school board has the final say about whether to close any schools starting next school year. Administrators presented all the information about potential closures during previous board meetings.
"There is not one person on this stage that takes this [decision] lightly and is not listening to what you have to say," one board member told people Wednesday.
Tuck said administrators hope the school board decides about the proposal during its Dec. 18 meeting. If that happens, the district can start redrawing boundaries.
If the school board votes to close the four schools, Tuck said several would likely be repurposed for other district programs. The more run-down buildings would be demolished.
Tuck said the district hopes to keep affected staff and move them around to other schools, although there are no guarantees.
Community members can email the school board at board@nsd131.org with any concerns.
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