SODA SPRINGS — In Jeff Uskoski’s college-level statistics class, students are used to sweating it out — and not because of the math. 

His classroom at Soda Springs High was sweltering on a cool fall Wednesday — and that was in spite of open windows and three fans. “Math is kind of next door to Hades,” he joked.

In the corner, next to the fans, a ceiling tile drooped from frequent leaks. It’s not a question of if, but when, that ceiling will leak again, said Jess McMurray, the principal at Soda Springs High. 

That classroom is a microcosm of the bigger issues at the high school. There’s the cracked foundation, the outdated auditorium, the questionable roof on the modular classrooms — the list goes on. Essentially, the 65-year-old building is at the end of its lifecycle, Superintendent Scott Muir said. 

On Nov. 5, Soda Springs leaders are asking the community to support a 20-year, $55.2 million bond so they can replace the high school, which was built in 1959. If passed, $10.3 million would go toward more classrooms and a gym expansion at Thirkill Elementary. 

It’s the only bond on any Idaho November ballot, and the biggest ask of the total $244 million school leaders are seeking from local taxpayers.

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State superintendent Debbie Critchfield was there to feel the heat on Wednesday, the last day of a statewide school tour that has primarily featured rural districts. 

“For me, coming out into the schools and hearing what they’re doing, seeing the kids, it just changes the perspective,” she said. “I always ask, ‘What do I need to know when we’re talking about policies or going into a legislative session?’ … For me, I don’t know how I would do this job without being in the schools.”

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Replacing Soda Springs High is one item on a long list of facilities needs in Idaho. That list has become a bit shorter thanks to a sweeping facilities bill from the last legislative session that will send more than $1 billion to districts.

But, as Critchfield told legislators “from the get-go,” “this money was important and needed but it was not going to solve it,” she said Wednesday.

Those dollars will primarily go to deferred maintenance needs and other upkeep, but generally won’t cover the cost of new buildings. That means districts will need to continue to have those “real tough conversations” with their patrons about facilities needs, explain why they are asking for financial support, and build relationships, Critchfield said. 

In Soda Springs, district leaders have been holding community meetings and posting videos and information online. Altogether, they have reached over 200 patrons, Muir said. The last community meeting will be held Thursday evening. 

If the bond doesn’t pass, Muir said there’s no contingency plan beyond reaching out to stakeholders to see how they want to move forward. 

For now, McMurray said the first thing he does every morning — before he leaves his house — is check his phone to see “what’s leaking, what’s not working” and whether school needs to be canceled due to facilities issues.

“It’s a normal occurrence,” he said. Last week, it was the auditorium steps that were leaking. 

Every year, he’s overspending the budget for maintenance because there’s so much that needs fixed: “The money that we’re throwing into this high school is enormous,” he said.

Students might be learning in a 95-degree classroom, or wearing winter coats to stay warm in classrooms and hallways during the winter.

“Any time you have this type of constant distraction to the educational process, the education is going to be significantly impacted, that I can assure you,” McMurray said.