Vallivue trustees on Tuesday night would have interviewed candidates to fill a vacancy, if anyone from Zone 3 had applied.
But no one from the zone has stepped forward. Then, another trustee resigned.
The five-member board is down to three as the growing district is running a 10-year, $30 million plant-facilities levy in November and considering two projects to alleviate overcrowding. The district is also under investigation by the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office over a 2024 land deal with a trustee’s father, as first reported by EdNews.
Trustee Toni Brinegar resigned in June and Trustee Paul Tierney resigned on Tuesday. Superintendent Lisa Boyd said they both had similar reasons for leaving.
“Paul had been talking for quite a long time, just like Toni, that when his kids were through Ridgevue (High School), he was going to step down from the board,” Boyd said Tuesday. “So he has decided to do so at this point.”
When Brinegar resigned, the district set a timeline to accept applicants from within Zone 3 until Aug. 6 and interview candidates on Aug. 11. If none applied, applicants from any zone could apply until Dec. 3.
Click here to view the district’s interactive map of trustee zones.
Boyd presented new timelines on Tuesday, after trustees voted to declare Tierney’s vacancy in Zone 4.
- To fill Brinegar’s seat, the district is accepting Zone 3 applicants until Sept. 7. If none apply, it will open to all zones until Oct. 8.
- To fill Tierney’s seat, the district is accepting Zone 4 applicants until Oct. 8. If none apply, it will open to all zones.
- If the district has applicants for both zones, trustees will interview candidates before the regular board meeting on Oct. 13.
Idaho statutes lay out the process for filling a school board vacancy.
In general, a board is supposed to appoint a new trustee within 90 days. If the board is not able to appoint a trustee from within the vacated zone within that 90-day window, the board can appoint someone from any zone. If a vacancy is not filled within 120 days, the county board of commissioners shall appoint the trustee.
Addressing growth
The new trustees, whenever they are appointed, will face tough decisions on how to handle rapid growth.
It’s hard to drive around the district without seeing advertisements for new subdivisions. As Tuesday’s board meeting took place, construction workers were building new homes down the street.
High schools are overcrowded, as is the district office.
Trustees on Tuesday approved ballot language for a 10-year, $30 million plant-facilities levy for the November election and tentatively approved moving forward with two projects to address that overcrowding, pending a feasibility study and designs from architects.
- The district could convert Summitvue Middle School into a high school to take pressure off of Ridgevue High, then use state modernization money to build a new middle school.
- The district could purchase a 10,300-square-foot warehouse and convert it into the new district office.
Ridgevue High last school year enrolled 1,736 students, according to state data. Boyd said converting Summitvue to a high school could bring that down to 1,100 or 1,200 students.
“They would have some breathing room,” she said.
In an interview after the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Joey Palmer said Summitvue was built with a bigger capacity than 90% of high schools in Idaho.
“It’s just kind of a happy circumstance in which the previous leadership decided to do that, and now we can repurpose it for a high school and still take care of our needs at the middle school as well,” Palmer said.
Then the district could build a new middle school on 20 acres it owns nearby using money from the 2024 Legislature’s House Bill 521, which created a $1 billion state bond for school district construction projects.
The district could use interest from that modernization money to purchase a 10,300-square-foot warehouse listed for $2.55 million. Boyd said some district office staffers are doubled or tripled up in cramped offices at the current 8,000-square-foot building.
Boyd said the district is authorized to spend $2.1 million for the warehouse, which is next to the district’s boardroom and tech office building. The warehouse is big enough to build a second floor, which Boyd said could expand capacity to 18,000 or 20,000 square feet.
“It is a great big empty building with a lot of possibilities,” she said.
Trustees approved the purchase on Tuesday, pending an appraisal.
In 2024, trustees did not rely on an appraisal before approving a $5 million land purchase from Dave Christensen, the father of Trustee Clay Christensen. The 87-acre parcel was appraised at $2.87 million.
Trustees have declined to speak to EdNews about the land deal, which the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office has been investigating for several months.
When asked about the purchase after a board meeting in May, Brinegar referred EdNews to the district’s attorney.
Levy in November
Voters in November will consider a 10-year, $30 million plant-facilities levy for building maintenance and upgrades.
The district’s last plant-facilities levy was for $2 million per year. Palmer said the district is asking voters to increase that to $3 million per year to account for several new buildings since the last levy was approved. Plus, the district expects to have another school within 10 years. But as the district’s tax base has grown with new homes and businesses, he said the taxpayers won’t see a tax increase compared to current rates.
“We could meet the needs of our children and not be a tax burden more so than we have in the past,” he said.
EdNews will provide more coverage on bonds and levies on the ballot in November as the election nears. Ballot language for the measures is due by Aug. 28.
