Mountain View school leaders voted Wednesday to split their district into two — but the plan will require approval from the State Board of Education and voters before it becomes a reality.
The unanimous vote comes after months of planning and weeks of community input.
If the State Board approves the deconsolidation plan, it will appear on the May 2025 ballot.
The last time a school district deconsolidated was in 2006, when the then-Grangeville School District split into the Salmon River and Mountain View school districts.
Deconsolidation has come up in the Mountain View district before. Earlier this year, the board of trustees made it clear to the communities of Kooskia, Grangeville and Elk City that if a two-year, $5.8 million supplemental levy did not pass in May, the district would likely close Clearwater Valley High School and Elk City School. That levy passed for the first time in years, after four consecutive denials.
The State Board will likely look at the deconsolidation plan at its December meeting.
If the board approves the plan, a simple majority of voters in the Mountain View School District would have to support deconsolidation. Then a simple majority of voters in the smaller district, Clearwater Valley, would also have to vote in support as well.
If deconsolidation passes, the State Board would then appoint two new boards of five trustees, one board for each district. Those boards would work together for a year to split the districts along with hiring or rearranging staff. The split would go into effect for students in the fall of 2026.
Tensions about school funding and resources drive the split
The current district is the largest in Idaho geographically, stretching from Oregon to Montana, with the schools forming a triangle with Grangeville on one side and Kooskia on the other with Elk City in the middle to the south.
One reason trustees have decided to deconsolidate is the district’s history of failed levies. The communities are far enough apart that voters didn’t want to pay taxes on a levy if they felt it wouldn’t be going toward schools in their community. The split aims to alleviate that.
If the district splits, voters will have more control over their tax dollars at the local level, trustees argued.
However, there has been contention among Elk City residents about whether their community should be placed in the proposed Clearwater Valley or Grangeville district. Ultimately, trustees moved to place them with Clearwater Valley because they thought it made the most sense financially.
Elk City community members expressed frustration that they didn’t get a say in this part of the deconsolidation plan. Sue Phillips, the Elk City school librarian, again raised her concerns Wednesday evening.
“I just feel like we’re not being listened to,” Phillips said. “It’s all about the money, i.e. levies. We need to think about the kids.”
Trustees — including Jon Menough, who represents Elk City — argued that this plan is best financially for both potential districts and gives Elk City the best shot at keeping its school.
The Clearwater Valley School District would include:
- Clearwater Valley Elementary School — 117 students.
- Clearwater Valley Junior-Senior High School — 170 students.
- Elk City Elementary School — 13 students.
Grangeville School District would include:
- Grangeville Elementary Middle School — 509 students.
- Grangeville High School — 253 students.
Students enrolled in any of the schools would be allowed to stay where they are through their educational career. Elk City students would be able to choose, in perpetuity, which high school they would attend.
The full plan is available on the school district website.
