The district is estimating that it will receive $25 million for the insurance replacement settlement. The final settlement is pending and will be communicated to the public once it is finalized. 100% of the insurance replacement settlement will be directed to rebuilding Highland High School.

The April 21, 2023 fire was ruled accidental and is considered a covered loss.

The bond requires a 2/3 (66.67)% supermajority to pass. If that threshold is not met, the Board of Trustees will determine the next steps moving forward, which may include, but is not limited to: 

• Rebuilding Highland according to the original footprint destroyed by the fire using insurance settlement money only. No improvements.
• Evaluating the percentage of “In Favor” votes versus “Against” votes and determine if the margin is close enough to warrant putting the issue back on the ballot in May 2024 with the same or a modified proposal.

Addressing the size of the Century High School gym has been a discussion topic over the past several years. The cost to address this requires either a bond or setting money aside for the next 10-15 years. The goal is to build a larger gym facility at Century High School that can accommodate the entire student body. Currently, Century must limit attendance at some events, and wrestling must use a small room initially intended for dance. A larger gym facility would also open up the ability to host certain state championship tournaments and other community events.  Preliminary discussions with the architect and general contractor indicate a new gym attached to the existing building would be more cost effective than renovation.

Regular maintenance is performed routinely according to the District's Maintenance Plan. Funded primarily with the School Plant Facilities levy, projects are tracked annually for all District properties which include roofing, heat/cooling and ventilation, HVAC, paint, electrical, energy conservation projects, plumbing, asphalt, concrete, irrigation, and kitchen equipment to name a few. At this time no major projects have been identified.  However, the District is conducting a review of buildings to determine what needs may exist in the coming 5-10 year period. 

On September 19, the Board of Trustees approved a Letter of Intent between the District and MSP Capital, LLC regarding the exchange of real property pursuant to and in accordance with the authority and requirements set forth at Idaho Code § 33-601(4)(b). In the letter of intent, the District is proposing exchanging approximately 9.9 acres of District-owned property located near Olympus and Jerome in exchange for approximately 6.62 acres of property owned by MSP located across the street from Highland High School. The additional acreage will be utilized to address parking and other needs. 

Several schools and organizations have opened their facility doors to accommodate extracurricular activities and athletics for Highland High School until its facilities are restored. Phasing the completion dates is necessary to avoid having two competition high school gym facilities out of commission at the same time. All projects will be done as quickly as possible with as little instructional disruption as possible.

In 2002 the Legislature enacted the “Bond Levy Equalization Support Program” (Idaho Statute 33-906).  It provides funding from the State to pay a portion of the repayment of school district bonds.   This reduces the amount of repayments paid from property taxes; however, the only way to be eligible for this Program is to pass a bond by the 2/3 vote.  The Program establishes a formula for calculating for each school district a percentage of its bond payments the Program will fund.  The percentage is based on three factors and changes each year as those factors change.  Currently, the District would receive 28.04% of its bond payments from this Program.  The percentage was 27.28% for FY2023 and 22.61% for FY2022. The ten-year average for the District is 21.31%.

Read the statute.

The 2023 Legislature passed HB292, a multi-part property tax relief bill, including the enactment of a new section 33-911, specifically focused on public schools.  School districts receive an amount based on their enrollment and must apply the funds first to reduce bond levies if they have outstanding bonds, then reduce supplemental levies, then hold the balance, if any, as a facilities fund. 

In August 2023, the District received its first distribution from the School District Facilities Fund, which totaled approximately $4.5 million. The District applied these funds to reduce taxes for the District’s Supplemental Levy, which was renewed by voters in March 2023. The District estimates that it will receive $3.8 million in 2024. If the bond passes, those monies will be applied to the bond payment, which is estimated to be $2.8 million after utilization of the Bond Levy Subsidy monies described above.   The balance remaining will then be applied to reduce taxes for the Supplemental Levy.

Although enacted as an on-going property tax relief measure, the revenue stream projections for the School District Facilities Fund are published only through 2027. The legislation may be subject to change in future legislative sessions.

Read the statute.

The estimated average annual cost to the taxpayer on the proposed bond is a tax of $37 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value, per year, based on current conditions. 

The District expects to receive from the State of Idaho school district facilities funds (Idaho Code Section 33-911) in an amount each year that will exceed the annual payments on the bonds and must first be used to repay the District’s bonds. Consequently, the actual estimated tax impact of the bond is $0 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value, per year, based on current conditions.

Idaho Code Section 34-913 requires the following disclosure which will appear on the ballot, be included in all “mass communications” from the District to educate the public about the bond proposal:

The interest rate anticipated on the proposed bond issue is 3.71% per annum. The total amount estimated to be repaid over the life of the bonds, based on the anticipated interest rate, is $42,497,957, consisting of $45,000,000 in principal and $14,057,750 of interest, less $16,559,793 in estimated bond levy equalization payments. The term of the bonds will not exceed fifteen (15) years from the date of issuance. The estimated average annual cost to the taxpayer on the proposed bond is a tax of $37 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value, per year, based on current conditions. However, the District expects to receive from the State of Idaho school district facilities funds in an amount each year that will exceed the annual payments on the bonds and must first be used to repay the District’s bonds. Consequently, the actual estimated tax impact of the bond is $0 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value, per year, based on current conditions. As of November 7, 2023, the total existing bonded indebtedness of the District, including interest accrued, is $0.00.

As of November 7, 2023, the total existing bonded indebtedness of the District, including interest accrued, is $0.00.

Voters last approved a bond request on March 4, 1997 to build Century High School, which also provided the funding to build a new gym at Pocatello High School and upgrade the school’s HVAC system, bathrooms, and other improvements. The District refinanced the bond in 2012, which resulted in more than $750,000 in savings to local taxpayers.

Walk-in Early Voting begins on Monday, October 18 and ends on Friday, November 3. Voters may vote early at the Bannock County Elections Office, located at 141 N 6^th Avenue, adjacent to the Bannock County Courthouse. (208) 236-7333.

Community members may email feedback or concerns to the Board to feedback@sd25.us