Teton County schools face challenges after bond fails

It came as unwelcome news to Teton School District administrators: Tuesday night a $19 million bond that would have built two new elementary schools failed.

While the measure got a majority of votes, it fell short of the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass.

Just one week before classes resume, school officials are making sacrifices to alleviate the overcrowding the bond was designed to eliminate.

“We’re growing a whole classroom unit every year,” said superintendent Monte Woolstenhulme.

Victor Elementary Principal Jannifer Cooke said her school in unable to accommodate all of the students zoned there.

“We are having to ask parents to bus their students to the Driggs area because we cannot accommodate all the numbers of the students that are showing up at our doorstep,” said Cooke.

It’s just one of many sacrifices being made district-wide.

“We’re framing in some stage space to use as a classroom for this year. We’re moving some elementary libraries out of the school,” said Woolstenhulme.

At Victor, some classrooms are being crammed with as many as 30 students.

“That decreases the academic ability of a teacher — they just require more adult supervision,” said Cooke.

Woolstenhulme said that while this bond failed, he is optimistic the district will get the necessary funds in the future.

“The School Board will be taking a lot of time to take feedback from the community and look at the information we have on how to move forward,” said Woolstenhulme.

Woolstenhulme said the school board hopes to hear from those who voted against the bond at its Sept. 4 meeting.