Teton County board approves Mercer 'most cost‑effective' remedy for Jackson Hole High, sends recommendation to state

The Teton County School Board voted to approve the Mercer/MGT "most cost‑effective remedy" study for Jackson Hole High School and will forward the recommendation to the School Facilities Commission for action.

The consultant team recommended a comprehensive addition of roughly 20,000 square feet that would expand cafeteria/dining capacity (the report targets roughly 1,500 additional dining seats), add a new kitchen and provide about 13,000 square feet of dedicated career and technical education classrooms to take CTE programs inside the main building. The study was prepared after a 2024 legislative appropriation and aims to bring the facility into compliance with state adequacy standards and address circulation and restroom placement problems raised by the district.

"The purpose of the study is to look at all the potential remedies and then balance those against the benefits and the cost to determine what is the best remedy to address those adequacy issues," said Shelby Carlson of the State Construction Department during the presentation.

Board discussion focused on capacity and costs. Presenters said the initial Mercer estimate aligns with appropriation language (the earlier legislative appropriation totaled $21,800,000) but acknowledged inflation and soft costs will likely require additional funding. State staff told trustees they will calculate a inflation adjustment (roughly 6% per year was used as a preliminary working assumption) and include any supplemental funding request in the governor’s budget and with the select committee on school facilities.

Trustees also pressed the team about whether the recommended plan addresses every deficiency the district listed. Rob Tanner, the study consultant, said the comprehensive option resolves dining and CTE space problems, adds circulation routes that reduce hallway congestion and allows some specialized programs to move out of makeshift spaces, even though some items (locker‑room sizing and large assembly seating counts) are not prescriptive under the state's adequacy standards.

If the commission accepts the report at its Sept. 25 meeting, project staff said the next steps are design development, a formal cost‑estimate update to capture inflation and soft costs, and placement of any supplemental funding request in the governor’s budget for the upcoming session. The board voted in favor and the motion carried.

The state director noted the commission and governor’s office are supportive and that the district and state will continue to refine scope and cost before design and procurement begin.