District 91 pushes back survey deadline to get more community feedback

There is still time to give your input on Idaho Falls School District 91’s 10-year facilities master plan. After hosting its second State of Our Schools meeting this past month, the district is extending its public survey until Monday night.

“We have extended the deadline for our latest survey to get input on some of the latest ideas that are currently being developed to address the needs in our building,” said Margaret Wimborne, the director of communications and community engagement for Idaho Falls School District 91.

Ideas include reconfiguring the elementary schools. That means possibly moving sixth graders to a sixth grade center on middle school campuses and elementary school boundary changes.

The district is also looking at centralizing secondary school functions.

“Does it make sense to have a centralized performing arts center rather than trying to have those facilities at each of our schools?” Wimborne said. “Does it make sense to centralize our athletic facilities, rather than maintain and keep up those facilities?”

Centralizing secondary school functions could also include career and technical facilities and alternative education sites.

These ideas were developed after the public’s feedback from the first meeting at Skyline High School in April and the work from the district’s steering committee.

“Which is made up of members of our community,” Wimborne said. “(It is) parents and patrons who are taking time to kind of look through that input, work with cooperative strategies (and) take a comprehensive look at the district.”

Ultimately, Idaho Falls School District 91 would like to develop a plan that addresses the needs for grades K-12.

The district wants everyone, supporter or not, to take part in this survey.

For those who could not make it to the State of Our Schools meetings, District 91 has videos posted on its website to view before taking the survey.

“Public input is just critical,” Wimborne said. “We can’t move forward without the support of the community.”

The steering committee will have a meeting to discuss this survey’s responses June 13.

For more information on Idaho Falls School District 91’s master plan, click HERE.