BONNER COUNTY, Idaho — The West Bonner School District Board of Directors has passed a motion to close Priest River Junior High for the 2024-25 school year.
The board of directors held a special meeting for hours on Wednesday, going over all of their options before ultimately coming up with the decision.
The district was initially thinking they were going to close two of the three elementary schools. Instead, they decided to close the middle school.
The elementary schools will become K-6, and the seventh and eighth graders will go to the high school. The one caveat with the decision is that there will be a division between the younger and older students at the high school.
At the end of May, voters rejected a $4 million one-year levy for the West Bonner School District. On Wednesday, the district's budget breakdown put them at a $1.1 million deficit for next year.
Closing schools next year would make a dent in that deficit, but it wouldn't solve the problem altogether. The district is looking into grant options, but even in the short term, closing Priest River is a solution many neighbors are not OK with.
As for the sixth graders, a principal said adding more students to her building put a strain on her school.
The district also approved for the community to find other funding options like community partners and donations.
The hope is this closure will be temporary, for only one year.
RELATED: West Bonner County Sheriff investigating complaint against School Board Trustee Reinbold's absences
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