POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Board members of Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 (PCSD 25) site budgetary issues caused by low enrollment as the catalyst for their decision to close Washington Elementary School.
Deanna Judy, chairman of the school board, said the decision to close the school was not taken lightly, and was done in an effort to best serve students and preserve the district’s financial security.
“It’s really about making sure that we are keeping a balanced budget, which a lot of school districts don’t have,” said Judy. “Fortunately, we do have that, and we’ve had that because we want to look ahead and make sure that we’re being wise.”
Judy said that PCSD 25 has the capacity to serve 7,726 elementary students, but currently there are only 4,796 students enrolled.
Because the district is funded by the state based on daily attendance, Judy said they would not be able to keep Washington open without dipping into PCSD 25 savings or levying tax payers.
“I don’t think those are good options,” said Judy. “I don’t think either one of those are fiscally responsible and I don’t think our taxpayers would appreciate the fact that we had an opportunity to make sure we stayed within our budget and we chose to not do that.”
The closure of Washington Elementary School and redrawing of school boundaries will take effect at the start of the 2025/2026 school year.
For more information you can visit the PCSD 25 website.
