BRUNEAU, Idaho — After months of uncertainty, the Bruneau Grand View School District board voted to keep Bruneau Elementary open for the 2025–26 school year, if staff can be secured. The board also voted to close the school the following year, unless voters choose to keep it open in a November 2025 election.
A crowd of nearly 50 people packed into Tuesday night’s school board meeting. Parents, staff, and longtime residents showed up to urge district leaders to keep the school open.
“When you have a school room full of about 50 people, you better start paying attention to what your patrons want, and you know that there was a problem,” said Sherry Colyer.
WATCH: Bruneau Elementary stays open– but only if staff can be found. Here’s what happens next.
Colyer served on the school board for nine years in the 1990s.
“A big change for the Bruneau community is transportation. Grandview is 20 miles from Bruneau… It’s a big hardship on the families that have little kids … especially, this is the youngest of our students,” she said.
The approximately 28 students currently enrolled at Bruneau Elementary would be transferred to Grand View Elementary if the school becomes inactive. Many in the community say that decision goes against what they were promised when voters approved a levy last year.
“We look at it as a little bit of a bait and switch that you got the levy passed and now you're going to still take the money but close the school,” Colyer said.
Some residents also raised concerns about the validity of a recent district survey that officials said helped guide the decision.
“Communication has been terrible. They did a survey, randomly posted it on their website, and did not distribute it at all through social media,” said Colyer.
District Superintendent Jeff Blaser said the long-term goal is to act early, not react under pressure.
“We feel that it is in the best interest of students, staff, families, and communities to make a transition in a manner that is planned with thoughtful intent rather than forced if possible,” Blaser said.
Although Bruneau Elementary will remain open for now, many families say the future remains uncertain.
“If they stick to their guns and say Bruneau is closing, I think that Bruneau parents will have a mass exodus to other schools. Glens Ferry has offered to even possibly send a bus,” Colyer said.
