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Pocatello trustees approve Highland High rebuild committee as bond timing remains uncertain
Summary
The Pocatello School District board approved a Highland High School rebuild and design committee and a staged design timeline while continuing to monitor state action on House Bill 521, which could change bond-equalization assumptions for a potential bond submission.
The Pocatello School District 25 Board of Trustees voted to form a Highland High School rebuild and design committee and approved a design timeline after hearing presentations from district staff and the design team.
Board members discussed membership, scope and timing for the committee and agreed to a core membership that will include parents, community representatives, two board members and district administrators. The board approved the committee with the addition of one community-member seat.
Jonathan Balls, the district’s business operations presenter, outlined Design West’s four-stage process—pre‑design, schematic design, design development and contract documents—and projected a six‑ to eight‑month design timeline. “My job is I love as much input as you can but just don’t go over the budget,” Balls said, urging a balance between speed and fiscal limits.
Board discussion also focused on whether to prepare bond-language now in case House Bill 521 (bond equalization) moves slowly at the Legislature. Balls told trustees the district has to meet election‑related deadlines to submit bond language and that the board could still withdraw before the county’s deadline if state action changed. The board did not take a final vote on issuing a bond; members instructed staff to keep options open and to meet later this week if HB 521’s status required rapid action.
Design West and the district emphasized committee and public involvement in early phases to gather programming input, review comparable facilities and translate priorities (instructional spaces, athletics, arts and infrastructure) into preliminary designs. The board directed staff to preserve opportunities for written public comment and to keep committee meetings open to the public.
Next steps: staff will finalize committee membership, publish the committee timeline and begin the pre‑design work. The board scheduled follow-up coordination in the coming days to determine whether to submit bond language before the election official’s deadline if the Legislature does not act on HB 521.
