POCATELLO — Nearly 100 local residents attended a public hearing in the Pocatello High School auditorium on Wednesday evening to voice their dissent at School District 25’s plans to possibly close one of its elementary schools because of declining enrollment throughout the district.

In the moments before the program began, the auditorium was abuzz with discussions from residents both young and old and from a variety of neighborhoods across Pocatello. Many of the attendees displayed signs expressing their love and support for Washington and Tendoy elementary schools.

The school board is expected to decide by the end of the month to possibly close one of the two schools. The school board declined to respond on Wednesday evening to the many comments made by residents at the public hearing. But a special school board public meeting to review the input from the hearing is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. Friday at the district offices on Pole Line Road. No action will be taken at the special meeting, district officials said.

The school board’s decision to close either Washington or Tendoy could happen at its meeting set for Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Many in the audience at Wednesday evening’s public hearing were School District 25 teachers who showed up to support keeping the schools open.

The public hearing began with a slideshow presented by representatives of the district’s elementary, middle school and high school committees detailing the impacts of the potential closure of Washington or Tendoy.

The slideshow included information on the cost of maintaining the schools and maps showing what the district’s new school boundaries would like if one of the two schools were closed

The slideshow also revealed the district elementary committee’s recommendation that Washington should be closed.

The school board then opened up the meeting for public comment.

The atmosphere inside the auditorium was instantly electric, with numerous people stepping up to the two microphone stands the district provided.

Those who spoke expressed outrage, confusion, disappointment and a fervent passion for protecting two elementary schools seen as important educational fixtures of the Pocatello community.

There was plenty of criticism directed at the school board and the district’s elementary committee.

In a stirring speech by Washington Elementary School Advocates member Dakota Bates, the committee and school board members were blasted for what he called hasty determinations regarding the schools.

Bates gave examples of inconsistent numbers provided by the elementary committee and mentioned the district’s complete lack of coordination with other local governmental entities such as the city of Pocatello and Bannock County regarding finding solutions to avoid having to close a school.

“The short-term need of addressing the annual budget shortfall due to declining enrollment has no connection to the potential closure of an elementary school,” Bates said.

Bates said that by the district’s own admission, closing Washington or Tendoy will have a very limited impact on the district’s multi-million-dollar deficit next school year.

”Closing one or even both of these elementaries will do essentially nothing next year to address the $6 million-plus deficit,” he said.

Bates was also critical of how the school board used tens of millions of dollars in school modernization funding provided by the Idaho Legislature to address aging school facilities, specifically the expenditure of $39 million from the fund to renovate and rebuild fire-damaged Highland High School.

Bates said the school board had previously touted the aging Washington Elementary as a reason why it needed the state funding but none of those state dollars were used to renovate the 100-year-old school.

“We support public education and we are champions for the school district, but we can only take so much neglect and abuse at the hands of our district leaders and staff,” Bates said. “As one of our (Washington Elementary School Advocates) members said, ‘If they go forward with this (closure), I’ll never vote for another bond or levy.’ He is not alone in that sentiment. Why would we continue to support a district that shows no respect for what we value?”

Bates was not alone in his assertions, with many of the district residents who spoke Wednesday evening echoing his sentiments and touching on the devastating impact closing either school would have on students, teachers and surrounding neighborhoods.

There were tearful, passionate speeches given, many by teachers, in defense of Washington and Tendoy.

Many remarked that the children at the schools are “more than numbers on a map” and that “every neighborhood needs a school at its heart.”

School District 25’s challenge is how to handle the loss of state dollars connected to the loss of more than 1,000 students in the past seven years. Leading the way in terms of the district’s shrinking enrollment are its elementary schools, which have seen a total decrease of 740 students since 2017. The district’s declining student enrollment has resulted in the loss of more than $8 million in state funding since 2019 alone.

District officials have said that closing one of the district’s 13 elementary schools would be beneficial in that it would equalize student numbers in the remaining elementary schools, improve access to resources and optimize operational efficiency.

But those at Wednesday’s public hearing said the negatives of closing an elementary school far outweigh the positives.

Stefanie Powers, a teacher at Tendoy for the past 19 years whose own children attended the school, voiced her concerns.

“I would spend my entire career at Tendoy if I was able,” Powers said. “If Tendoy was to be shut down, I would obviously have to hopefully seek another position in the district, but if not, then I guess my entire life would be completely upended. I love the Pocatello community. I’ve lived here my entire life and I value public education. I am very concerned.”

Riley McCrady, a second-grade teacher at Tendoy in her fourth year at the school, said, “At the end of the day, while I don’t want Tendoy to be the school that closes, I would hope that whatever decision is made is in the best interest of our learners. As educators, that’s the whole reason why we do what we do. I don’t want to see my staff or my learners go anywhere. I would like to see the children that I’ve taught for the last four years continue their education at Tendoy. If our school closes, then who knows when we’d get to see them. Who knows if we ever get those children to come back and tell us how they’re doing in middle school or high school or in their lives. It doesn’t just impact numbers but those relationships.”