D91 puts $250m bond on Nov 8 ballot

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho Falls is growing and so are the needs of Idaho Falls school district 91. To meet those needs, the district is putting a $250 million bond on the ballot for November 8th.

One of those is a new building and location for Idaho Falls High School.

The facility was built in 1952 and not much has changed in some of the classrooms. Not only is more space needed, but the aging building makes it hard to keep up with the technological and power needs.

This summer, the district is replacing the lights in the building with ones that don't use as much electricity. That will allow them to funnel the power to the outlets so they can plug in more devices.

"Is it ideal? It's a fix," says Superintendent Dr. Jim Shank.

Shanks says this project alone costs $1 million.

"All these little things that we do to try to make improvements so we can sustain and keep going adds up over time."

Should the bond pass in November, a new school would be built on 49th South. The current IFHS building would then become the new home for the district's Career Technical Career Center. It would also provide facilities for the arts, athletics and more.

Both Idaho Falls and Skyline would continue to play home football games at Ravsten Stadium, which is getting upgrades of its own. The new field turf will be ready for this fall.

Also included in the bond is a brand new elementary school to built in the south part of Idaho Falls, and a new building to replace Templeview Elementary in the north part of town. Plans would also include a new auditorium for Skyline High School. Safety upgrades would also be part of the renovations.

To help minimize the tax burden, the district will be paying off its existing bond nine years early. It will be off the books in 2023, before the potential new bond would kick in.

Two previous bond attempts to get a new building for Idaho Falls high school have failed. This new bond will be up for vote on November 8th.