KUNA, Idaho — The Kuna School District is already feeling the impact of the failed$111.4 million bond, which needed 66.7% vote to be approved, and came up nearly 10% short.
The bond had offered a ten-year plan that would add new schools, renovations, and facilities to address the needs of the district. Now school officials tell us they are doing the best they can to adjust to the growing population.
What does this mean for our kids' education? It means larger classrooms (up to 40+ kids per class), unfavorable student-teacher ratios, dated facilities in need of repair, fewer amenities available (bathrooms, desks, lockers), and that's just for starters.
"We have a plan for the next ten years, and what we don't have are the funds to make it happen,” said Allison Westfall, with the Kuna School District.
Right now, the Kuna School District is home to nearly 6,000 students, but that number is projected to grow closer to 10,000 within the next decade. The immediate challenge facing the district is that classrooms are already near, at, or over their intended capacity.
"Sometimes I have almost 40 kids in each class, and I try my best to connect with them, but it can be difficult to simply manage that many kids," said Julia Sharkey, a teacher at Kuna High School.
According to a study by the University of Idaho, the average student-teacher ratio in 2022 for Idaho is 18:1.
Kuna has seen, on average, 459 single-family units and six multi-family units constructed each year. All of these homes fall within the Kuna School District. And with a new school year quickly approaching, the district now says they may have no choice but to begin turning students away or reassigning them to a school not considered their "home school".
"So new families coming in may not be able to have their child attend the school that serves their address, or they may have to split them [siblings] up," said Westfall.
Between the increase in students expected in the years ahead and no new schools on the horizon, the district is writing up a survey to ask residents what they disagreed with in the failed March bond plan.
"What were other concerns? Certainly, we are hearing concerns about property taxes in a growing community," said Westfall.
If the expected growth projection in ten years comes true, the district will need about 10 new schools to keep up with the growth.
A Kuna School District parent speaks about what her hopes are for her kids in the years to come. She hopes the next time the bond is up for vote, it gets enough votes to pass.
"Hallways where students don't feel that anxiety because it is so packed and so crowded," said Anna Steinbis, a Kuna School District parent.
The entire Kuna district gets about $42 million in state funding each year. The expansion of Swan Falls High School, alone, is expected to carry a $47 million price tag.
