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Superintendent says Lake Pend Oreille High School will remain open; board to review facilities and appraisal
Summary
After public testimony and district analysis, Superintendent Becky Meyer urged the board to keep Lake Pend Oreille High School open; staff presented enrollment trends and an estimated multi‑year funding shortfall the board will continue to study, with a facilities evaluation due in April and an appraisal in May.
Superintendent Becky Meyer told the board and the packed public gallery that Lake Pend Oreille High School (LPOHS) is not being closed and urged the board to preserve the program. “I emphatically recommend that we keep LPOHS open,” Meyer said, addressing rumors and community concern.
Meyer outlined a short-term plan for 2026–27 in which LPOHS students will remain on the current campus while buses provide access to electives at Sandpoint High School and the district CTEC program. She said the district plans an April presentation of a building condition evaluation and, if an appraisal is available, a May follow-up with deferred maintenance and transportation cost estimates.
Assistant Superintendent Casey McLaughlin presented enrollment trends and projections for the program, showing that small changes in cohort size have a large funding effect at LPOHS because the funding unit ratio there is ‘richer’ (12:1 students per unit) than at other buildings. McLaughlin projected a ‘flat’ scenario that would leave roughly 49 students in the building for 2026–27 under current assumptions.
Teacher and Local Education Association president Brian Smith summarized the budget impact: “over the last three years prior, it’s about $350,000 less revenue that’s being generated by Lake Pend Oreille High School,” and he said that if current trends persist an additional ~$180,000 could be lost in 2026–27, producing a multi‑year shortfall approaching $500,000.
The superintendent and staff repeatedly framed the recommendation around student needs and program outcomes rather than immediate cost savings. Meyer said the school’s family culture and the services it provides to at‑risk students are central to her recommendation to keep LPOHS operating while the board considers facility options. The board did not take final action on closing, and Meyer said staff will return with detailed facility and cost information in April and May.
