The Marsh Valley School District’s Board of Trustees only had one agenda item for its special meeting on Wednesday night: district reconfiguration options. The board ultimately motioned to table its budget-cutting decisions until the next regularly scheduled board meeting.

The special meeting drew a large crowd; all seats were filled as the Marsh Valley board prepared to discuss a situation that Superintendent Gary Tucker said made him “physically sick” to have to discuss. Tucker and trustees are scrambling to find a solution to the district’s budget woes after a failed supplemental levy earlier this month.

Trustees kicked off the meeting by writing their options down on a whiteboard. The first option: transition from K-6 elementary schools to grade-level centers, with grades K-3 attending north and south campuses at Inkom and Downey Elementary schools, while grades 4-6 would attend Mountain View Elementary in McCammon.

The second option discussed was shutting down Downey Elementary School. Tucker said students could be moved to Mountain View Elementary in McCammon and reduce the number of teachers.

To compound the weight of the decision trustees faced on Wednesday night, newly-appointed Trustee Ralph Wheatley of McCammon wasn’t yet sworn in to his position. Wheatley was allowed to speak as a member of the board, but unable to vote. If trustees passed a motion on Wednesday night, it would’ve been without McCammon’s representation.

Regardless of the option trustees choose, Tucker lamented the decision will involve laying off school staff. After failing to pass the $3.5 million levy, the district’s budget won’t be enough to pay all of its employees. Trustees concurred, saying they don’t want to lay anyone off or close any schools. But without the levy, they are left with no other choice.

Tucker laid out his frustrations with the district’s patrons, saying that two years prior he explained the 2023 levy was meant to buy time. Tucker said that during those two years, he proposed “solution after solution” to no avail, receiving pushback at every turn. 

“I personally don’t think we have a choice of what to do but to move forward,” said Board Chair Bill Jons, who said this decision has consistently kept him awake at night.

When Jons asked if trustees wanted to make a motion to move to grade-level centers, none responded. When Jons asked if trustees wanted to make a motion to close Downey, none responded.

The Marsh Valley board tabled its decision until their next regular meeting on Monday, June 9.