Shelley Joint School District prepares for new high school bond

SHELLEY, Idaho (KIFI) - The Shelley Joint School District #60 is preparing for Nov. 7 in hopes for a new high school in Shelley is on the ballot.

The district building committee, built of community members, school administrators and patrons have been meeting together for the last three years trying to discover if another high school is needed.

"Ultimately, our goal was try to figure out how to handle the growth that we were experiencing in Shelley School District through the process, lots of discussions which sent out various surveys to the community, which sent out a survey review," Shelley School District Superintendent Chad Williams said.

The bond’s purpose is to finance the costs of acquiring and constructing a new high school, and renovating and improving other existing school facilities.

The interest rate anticipated on the bond is 3.68 % per annum. The estimated average annual cost to the tax payer on the proposed bond levy is a tax of $259 per 100,000 of taxable asses value.

The school district hopes that voters continue to be informed of the bond by becoming more educated of what is on the ballot and addressing the needs in the community.

The superintendent will be doing 60 second updates a couple of times each week for the next month or two to help parents and community members become better informed of what the bond includes. Williams also hopes to do a public presentation on Oct. 25 in the little theater at Shelley High School at 7:30 p.m. to answer any questions or concerns anyone has.

"One of the things you often hear those is just the importance of of learning and being educated and getting out to the polls. And voting and how important that is in all elections and everything we do in government," Shelley High School Principal Burke Davis said.

Davis says community members can find important information on the district's website in the coming days that will answer a number of questions that parents and community members have about plans for a new high school.