Nampa just voted to close four schools despite city’s growth. Here’s which ones, why
After hours of emotional debate, the Nampa School District Board of Trustees voted Monday night to close four schools because of dropping enrollment and financial concerns over failing facilities. The vote passed 3-2.
The closures will affect Snake River Elementary, Centennial Elementary, Greenhurst Elementary and West Middle School.
“This is a hard decision,” said Brook Taylor, chair of the Nampa school board. “I was raised in (Nampa) schools. This is a very personal decision for us.”
According to the Nampa School District’s Fall 2023 State of the Schools report, the executive team will provide demographic guidelines to redraw school boundaries. Plans call for students to finish the school year at their current schools and have the new boundaries in place for next fall.
Superintendent Gregg Russell said he understood the concerns that families and students had built ties to the schools that will be closed, but said he was confident that the schools receiving students would be able to keep those connections strong.
“The last thing we want is for any kid or any family to be left on their own and to lose resources,” Russell said during the meeting.
The changes call for the Snake River Elementary School building to be repurposed for the Gateways Program, which serves students who have struggled in the traditional education program, Russell said. The Gateways Program offers more support and structure to the learning environment.
The Gateways program is housed in a building that was constructed in 1952, and some of the flooring has collapsed in parts of the building. That building is expected to be decommissioned.
“It’s hard for us to be able to service the students in the size of classrooms they have, the condition of the building, the gym space that they have, the cafeteria space,” Russell said. “They need more space.”
Plans call for Centennial Elementary School to be decommissioned and possibly razed. Greenhurst Elementary School would be used for the district’s preschool and online school offerings while West Middle School would be converted for use by Union High School and Nampa Academy.
Union High School, Russell said, is an alternative school that specializes in college and career readiness. Its building also is expected to be decommissioned.
Financial pains, changing demographics
Without the closures, Russell said, the district would have to make cuts to services.
“The budget has to be balanced,” Russell said.
If Nampa didn’t close the schools, Russell said, it would need to dip into savings more and would need to cut teachers, administrators, counselors and support services.
Nampa’s $210 million school bond was turned down in March, with just 40% of voters in favor.
“(There’s) about $12 million a year of deferred maintenance every year,” Russell said. “In four years the district will have $149 million in deferred maintenance, and that’s a huge, huge number.”
By closing the schools, the school district will be able to lower the amount of deferred maintenance, Russell said.
Part of the reasoning behind the closures comes from a change in demographics.
“We’ve seen a drastic drop in student enrollment the last 10 years,” Russell said in an informational video posted before the meeting.
Despite increasing population in Nampa, the school district has lost about 1,900 students since the 2013-2014 school year, according to the district’s 2023 State of the Schools report. Continued enrollment declines are expected in the future.
