West Ada breaks ground on new alternative school

The 125 or so students who attend a West Ada alternative school will have a new home next fall.

Pathways Middle School will move into a new $6.3 million building early in the 2017-18 school year, Bill Roberts of the Idaho Statesman reported this week.

A groundbreaking was held on Nov. 15.

The school has been open for nearly a decade housed in portable buildings. The portables are cramped and drafty, Roberts reported, and some students have been teased about attending a “trailer park school.”

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“When you are in a school made up of portables, you are forced to use other peoples’ facilities to eat, hold assemblies, or have a student versus staff basketball game. It’s kind of like having family dinners at someone else’s house,” Principal Eric Eschen said during the groundbreaking.

Located in Meridian, Pathways serves seventh- and eighth-graders.

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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