New School Planned in Plummer

Maureen Dolan; Staff Writer, Coeur d'Alene Press

Published: December 22, 2009

A new elementary school will be built in the Plummer-Worley School District, and it will go up on land the district owns in Plummer whether voters approve a bond or not. The big question is: Who will control the construction process and financing, the school district or the state?

Plummer-Worley is the first Idaho district to become eligible to apply for state financial support to build a new school through the Idaho Public School Facilities Cooperative Fund, a $25 million fund created by the Legislature in 2006 to address unsafe school buildings in districts where bond measures have been rejected by voters.

A panel in Boise recently approved a modified application for the district to build a new $11.3 million elementary school in Plummer to replace the now-shuttered Lakeside Elementary School in Worley.

"This is the first run at testing out this law," said Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene.

Rep. Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, sponsored the legislation that also set up a requirement for districts to set aside funds annually to be used to maintain school buildings.

The comprehensive legislation was created in response to a Supreme Court ruling requiring the state to address unsafe schools.

"It was a stopgap measure," Bedke said. "It's a failsafe that the courts approved."

Nonini, who was House Education Committee chair when the legislation was enacted, has been involved in the process locally since last summer.

Since the school in Worley can no longer be used, elementary students have been attending classes in temporary facilities in Plummer, where the new school will be.

"I've been most impressed with the district, the trustees and the superintendent, with how they've handled that," Nonini said. "They're estimating a $400,000 savings this year in their transportation costs since they moved the kids to Plummer. The district is trying in tough, tough times to do their best. We'll see how this plays out."

The district became eligible to apply to the state's public school facilities cooperative fund after the Idaho Division of Building Safety deemed the 72-year-old Worley school building a safety hazard last summer.

The other criterion met by the district is that voters have rejected three bond measures in recent years to build a new school to replace the existing unsafe facility.

Under the law, district voters must be given one more chance to approve a local bond measure to build the school according to the plan approved by the panel.

"Inasmuch as I am pleased the school facilities panel from the state of Idaho recognized the need for a new elementary school to provide a safe learning environment for the children of our district, I want to encourage our district patrons to vote 'Yes' in the bond election coming up in February so we can retain local control in this important process," said Plummer-Worley Superintendent Judi Sharrett.

Should the measure fail to earn two-thirds majority approval, a supervisor will be assigned by the state to oversee and complete the project using state funds.

Taxpayers will repay the state through a 20-year payment program, through a tax assessment to district property owners.

"That makes it fair to the rest of the districts," Bedke said. "It doesn't relieve the local taxpayers of their obligation to provide a building."


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