After an election year where Idahoans shot down every school bond measure, Kimberly School District is mulling a multi-million dollar ask to build a fine arts center and field house.
Trustees on Thursday night agreed to schedule a special meeting on March 3 to vote on resolutions to place a $500,000 plant facility levy and $57.8 million bond on the May 19 ballot. Districts have until March 13 to submit ballot language for bonds and levies to qualify for the May election.
Kimberly, a small town about five miles east of Twin Falls, is one of the fastest growing cities in Idaho. But Superintendent Luke Schroeder told EdNews on Friday that not many families with young children are moving in.
The city is instead attracting empty nesters and professionals, such as doctors, bankers, accountants, business owners and entrepreneurs, he said. Some move in from out of state and work remotely.
“They’re discovering, ‘Hey, the reputation is Kimberly’s a nice place to live,’” Schroeder said. “And so we’re very sought after.”
While these folks might not have school-aged kids, Schroeder said the community as a whole would benefit from new facilities.
The bond would not pay for a new school but would build a fine arts center for student performances and a field house with community recreational space where the public can come by in the mornings or evenings to play pick-up basketball, pickleball or walk on the track.
“I think it would be very well utilized,” Schroeder said.
The fine arts center would include an auditorium for drama and musical performances, he said. The space would include dedicated band rooms, choir rooms and musical theatre rooms.
Historically, the district has been forced to use bonds to build classrooms. Schroeder said he sees this bond as an opportunity to instead focus on enhancing programs.
“This is a great opportunity for us as a community to make our community even better than it is,” he said.
Trustees are weighing the financial impacts of 20-year and 30-year measures. The district will share details surrounding those impacts on property owners at a future meeting.
Kimberly voters last approved a bond in May 2016. The $14 million, 20-year bond narrowly passed with 67.56%. Bond measures in Idaho require a supermajority, or 66.6%.
