PAYETTE, Idaho — Payette Joint School District officials are hoping to rebuild and remodel the high school.
Kevin Hanigan, co-chair of the Payette School Bond Committee, says students and staff have outgrown the nearly 60-year-old building.
"It was added onto in 1974 and then some remodeling in 1988," Hanigan said. "We're keeping the 1988 section but we're basically going to start over with everything else."
On Tuesday, March 12, voters will be asked to approve a $30,925,000 bond that would pay for the revamp.
VOTER GUIDE: March 2019 school bonds and levies
The rebuild includes a new gym, an auditorium and new classrooms.
"The classrooms that we have now are not designed very well," Hanigan said. "It was an outdoor school with outdoor classrooms originally, so they have enclosed that but the classroom spaces themselves are awkward. The HVAC systems are poor, and the lighting is poor."
Some of the new classrooms would be designated for technical career classes in a separate building apart from the high school.
"We want to give them job skills so that they are ready the minute they graduate high school to be able to be a journeyman, or apprentice or whatever they might choose to do in that field specifically," Hanigan said.
The bond must be approved by a supermajority - or two-thirds of voters to pass.
If passed, a homeowner's tax increase would be $22.00 a month for a home assessed at $150,000 with a homeowner's deduction.
"I do think it will enhance the education for our kids," Hanigan said. "It will be really great for our community and ultimately it's going to raise us all up and be better for our entire community."