CALDWELL, Idaho — This story originally appeared in The Idaho Press.
Gold shovels flung dirt into the air, celebrating a new beginning for the Vallivue School District. Attendees took off their hard hats and dusted themselves off, preparing for yet another groundbreaking in just a few hours.
Following the passage of a $78 million bond in 2023, the VSD has officially begun construction on two new elementary schools, Falcon Ridge Elementary and Warhawk Elementary. The district held ceremonial ground breakings at both sites Thursday morning.
Falcon Ridge will be located behind Vallivue Middle School in southern Caldwell. Warhawk Elementary will be built near Ridgevue High School in northern Nampa.
Just earlier this week, prior to Vallivue’s groundbreaking, the neighboring Caldwell School District voted to shut down one of its six elementary schools.
The Boise School District has also been considering the closure of one of its schools, Owyhee Elementary, and the Nampa School District shut down four schools at the end of the academic year.
Both Falcon Ridge and Warhawk elementary schools are scheduled to open for the 2025-2026 school year. Assistant Superintendent Joey Palmer explained that the new buildings were necessary in keeping reasonable class sizes.
“We’ve built these two schools that hold 800 students each,” Palmer said. “That’s going to allow us to have appropriate student-to-teacher ratios — we’re hoping — for the next 10 years.”
Without the new schools, Palmer said the average class size would grow to 35 students.
Since the 2013-2014 school year, Vallievue has gained 2,328 students, growing its student population by 30.8%, according to state historical enrollment. This past year, the district achieved a total enrollment of over 10,000 students.
Meanwhile, nearby districts are struggling.
From 2013-2014 to the 2023-2024 academic year, CSD enrollment went down by 14%, NSD’s went down by 12% and BSD’s went down by 11.9%.
Palmer said that Vallivue has seen growth in its previously rural areas.
“The houses are being built here,” Palmer said. “A huge population is moving here, and so, we just have to meet the need.”
The district spans across Caldwell and Nampa in the shape of a V. The CSD fits in north of the V and shares its eastern, western and southern boundaries with Vallivue. The NSD is south-east of Vallivue.
The construction of the much-needed schools comes after multiple attempts to pass a bond, Palmer said. The district has run the bond on the ballot three times before succeeding. Once, the bond narrowly failed by 50 votes.
“We just needed to do a better job,” Palmer said about educating the public.
Board Chair Toni Belknap-Brinegar said the education process wasn’t just about explaining the need for a bond, but in some cases, explaining what a bond is.
“We’re just so appreciative for the patrons who did vote for the bond and do believe in Vallivue schools,” Belknap-Brinegar said.
Belknap-Brinegar said she has encountered public misinformation on how schools are funded, with assumptions that districts can easily acquire more from the state.
“People think that schools run like a business, that you have revenue and you have expenditures and you can just move money. ... Well, that’s not the way this works,” Belknap-Brinegar explained. “They (the Legislature) tell us not only how much money we can spend on technology, but that we cannot spend it on anything else. There’s so many strings attached.”
For example, if the district is given money for technology updates by the state, any surplus cannot be reutilized for building maintenance. It has to meet the intended use as given by the state.
Belknap-Brinegar described the use of funds as a convoluted process that is difficult to follow, even for some lawmakers.
As for the passage of Vallivue’s bond, Belknap-Brinegar said the board is grateful to have the support of the community.
“Most of us in Idaho don’t have the means for private education, so most of us are the result of public ed,” she said. “And what we want for our future generations is good public education, because they’re our future leaders and innovators.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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