Local school district asks voters to approve $78 million bond to build a new high school

 

SHELLEY — On May 20, Shelley Joint School District 60 is asking voters to approve a nearly $79 million bond to build a new high school as student enrollment grows.

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Bonds in Idaho need a supermajority, or 66.6%, of the votes to pass.

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According to a promotional flyer, the district has a bond debt of $7,160,712. Slides on the school district’s website show its two current bonds will be paid off within the next five years.

The proposed bond will be for 20 years for the amount of $78.64 million, costing taxpayers $423 per $100,000 taxable assessed value annually.

The new high school would include a new auditorium and career technical building. The school would be built in one of two locations.

The first option on the school’s website shows the school being built a half-mile south of the current Shelley High School.

The second option shows the school built on the current softball and baseball fields. Due to the potential location, the second plan shows the school district building new soccer, softball and baseball fields.

The design of the school is based on high schools built in Middleton, Owyhee, Ridgevue, Green Canyon and Ridgeline.

According to the district’s website, if the bond is passed, the new school will be designed in around 12 months, and construction will start around April 2027.

The school is projected to be finished for the start of school in fall 2029.

The current Shelley High School will be converted into a new middle school, taking students from Hobbs Middle School, and the school district and the public will decide on what to do with Hobbs.

Shelley Joint School District had tried to pass a bond for a new high school in 2023 but failed to reach the supermajority needed to pass. It had 48% support.

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Former Superintendent Chad Williams told EastIdahoNews.com that the idea to propose a bond was born in 2020.

According to flyers about the bond, the school district has been tackling the issue of its enrollment growth, which has remained at 2%, since 2020.

In 2023, Williams said the school was built for a capacity of 650 students and that it was at 790 students.

The new school will have a capacity of over 1,000 students and is planned to last until 2040, when the need for a new school arises.

To learn more about the bond, click here.

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