PRIEST RIVER, Idaho- The West Bonner County School District (WBCSD) hosted a budget meeting Wednesday to provide context on the 2024-2025 school budget, one week after voting to close Priest River Junior High.
The district had considered possible solutions to their $4.7 million budget shortfall. The district’s budget crisis intensified after a levy failed in May. Overall, WBCSD’s revenue has declined by roughly $2.4 million. The district initially looked at closing two elementary schools but determined the best course of action was to shut down Priest River Junior High for one year. 6th grade students will go to the elementary schools while 7th and 8th graders will go to Priest River Lamanna. This plan is basically a stop gap measure for one year, as long as the district is able to pass the levy by putting it on the ballot this fall. “Total savings [from closing the school for one year] would be about $300k + $250k thousand,” Dean David, the Director of Finance for WBCSD, said. At the initial meeting where the plan was voted on, attendees were very vocal and voiced their concerns. Wednesday’s meeting was overall calm, with only one person standing up to ask a question about the budget.
