BRUNEAU, Idaho — A small elementary school in rural Idaho is on track to close due to low enrollment, prompting concern from families who say the school plays a vital role in their community. For decades, Bruneau Elementary has served not only as an educational hub but also as a gathering place for local traditions and events.
Last June, the Bruneau-Grand View School Board set an enrollment threshold of 35 students to keep the school open. If that quota isn’t met by July 1, the district plans to shut it down.
“Currently, our enrollment at Bruneau is 32 students. However, two of those students are expected to graduate, disenroll, and go to a different school for resources that we don’t provide. And then we also are aware of two more students who will not be returning next year,” Superintendent Jeff Blaser said.
That would put the school’s enrollment at 28 students.
On Tuesday, parents packed the school board meeting, making one final attempt to reverse the decision.
“We have literally fought for the last 15 years to keep our kids local, our kids Bruneau Elementary open, our kids close to home, to keep our community thriving with that school,” said Bruneau parent Tiffany Bachman.
Superintendent Blaser said the decision is about consolidating resources, like combining staff, improving collaboration, and supporting student achievement throughout the district.
“One of our missions for the district is to provide a high-quality education, prepare students for their future. So, making this move is just a part of fulfilling that mission,” Blaser said.
But in this spread-out ranching region, a longer bus ride is no small change. Parents worry the shift could exhaust students and tear at the fabric of the tight-knit town.
“Can you imagine a kindergartner being on a bus for 30 or 40 minutes? It’s just, it’s kind of unrealistic,” Bachman said.
She also said the community believes it is more than capable of running its own school and has even asked the state to consider deconsolidation from the Grand View district.
“We want to take care of our own. And, you know, sending our kids further away and to another neighboring town is not really what we want to do as a community, as parents, as grandparents, aunts and uncles… It’s just not really what the community wants,” Bachman said.
The district says it will move forward with the closure plan if Bruneau does not meet its enrollment quota.
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