POST FALLS, ID. -- Post Falls High School isn't overcrowded now. But administrators say in the next five to seven years it will be. Their solution is to build another high school. Now, the district is buying land for one at the corner of McGuire and Prairie Road. A 2006 bond set aside $750,000 to buy property for new schools. Earlier this month, district trustees approved the purchase of 45 acres for a new high school. "The money we're using for the purchase is committed specifically for one purpose," says Superintendent Jerry Keane. "We could not spend it for any other purpose." Which for the district is unfortunate -- just like almost everywhere else in Idaho, that money could be useful elsewhere. But Post Falls is in a unique position. Its student population is growing about 2% each year, and they've actually added teachers. Still, the district is staring straight at a second straight year of state funding decreases. "You're right, this seems odd that we would be thinking about growth the same time we're looking at a budget reduction," says Keane. "But the reality is we have to plan for the future." Even though Post Falls High is a relatively new building, it has already been expanded once. Meanwhile, the district should complete the purchase of that land in January 2010.
