BCCLC plans to leave Blackfoot
GROVELAND, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - The Blackfoot Charter Community Learning Center has made a big leap for its future and it involves leaving the city limits.
“It’s a happy day for us,” BCCLC board member Dan Cravens said.
On Thursday afternoon, students, teachers, administrators and parents of the BCCLC gathered at the vacant lot on the corner of Pioneer and Groveland to see where their new school will sit.
Cravens says there’s a lot to love about the Groveland location, acquired through a land swap on Monday.
“This is closer to where our transportation hub is, it’s got good road access, we’ve got a lot of room to grow and expand,” he explained.
On the nearly 20-acre lot, the BCCLC will offer all of its grades (K-8) together for the first time. According to Debbie Steele, chief administrator, this plan has been on the agenda for quite some time.
“It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “We’ve been thinking about it and working on it for several years already, so it’ll be good to have it come to fruition.”
There is a belief that the newer, larger facility will attract new students and staff, and the current students are already looking forward to that.
“Just it being bigger and I hope that it’ll have a basketball hoop,” one said. “I’m excited for the school because it’s going to be bigger and it’s not going to be as hard to get there and, like, the middle school and the elementary school is going to be combinded and I think it will just be fun,” another added.
While the kids are focused on the more fun features of the building, people like Steele are thinking about safety.
“The past ten years that I’ve worked there, we’ve had portables and it’s fun for the kids to run back forth, but it doesn’t make me feel as safe as it will when we’re all under one roof and able to just learn and grow together,” she said.
Cravens says there is a plan in place to move forward with the school, but he did not have any specific details about when we may see work begin or finish on this project.
