Landing some students

The Coeur d'Alene public school system, one of the largest in the state, could soon experience a growth spurt.

Homeowners in the western section of The Landings - a growing development of new homes in the northwest section of Coeur d'Alene - have asked that their neighborhood be annexed into the Coeur d'Alene School District.

Their homes are in Coeur d'Alene. They pay taxes to the city of Coeur d'Alene, but their property, to the west of Carrington Lane, sits within the Post Falls School District's borders.

For some new property owners in the west Landings, it was a surprise to learn that their children would not attend schools in Coeur d'Alene.

"That was certainly our assumption when we were shopping for a home," said Jon Froderberg, one of the parents organizing the annexation request effort.

Froderberg said he and his wife learned shortly before signing their home contract that it was in the Post Falls School District.

It was a disappointment for them, Froderberg said, but they decided to move forward with the home purchase and request that their son be transferred from the Post Falls School District into the Coeur d'Alene school system.

Their child now attends Woodland Middle School, less than 3 miles from the Froderberg's home. Without the transfer, he would go to one of the middle schools in Post Falls, each about 7 miles away.

There are an estimated 253 children living in the neighborhood, and like the Froderbergs' son, 85 of those students currently attend Coeur d'Alene schools on a transfer.

Under the Coeur d'Alene district's open enrollment policy, students from other districts are able to apply for enrollment and transfer to Coeur d'Alene schools. These students are accepted based on available space and the children's individual needs. State funding for out-of-district children is transferred to the Coeur d'Alene district from the incoming students' home districts.

The west Landings homeowners presented an annexation request, along with a petition bearing 230 signatures, to the school district administration and trustees on Oct. 30.

"Atlas Elementary, which is zoned in the Coeur d'Alene School District, is only 1.6 miles away," states the letter attached to the petition. "Some of our children are currently being bussed to Ponderosa Elementary in the Post Falls School District, 6.5 miles away."

Idaho code requires the petitioners to deliver their paperwork to both school districts. Once received, a request must be considered by the local school board at its next regular meeting. The two boards of trustees' recommendations - whether the annexation should proceed or not - are then forwarded to the state board of education.

If the annexation is approved by the Idaho SBOE, it will then go before voters living in the affected area for final approval.

School board members in Coeur d'Alene gave the annexation their unanimous approval in November.

Terri Seymour, whose trustee zone includes the Landings, said bringing the west Landings area into the school district will unite what is now a split neighborhood.

"The children play together and they want to go to the same schools together," Seymour told The Press. "I want to honor the parents and families who have made this request of us and the choice to keep their family neighborhood together."

Seymour said it's her understanding that when many families moved into the west Landings, they believed they would be living in the Coeur d'Alene School District.

There is some concern about the strain the annexation could place on the district's existing schools.

Superintendent Matt Handelman told the district's Long Range Planning Committee in November that the district faces the potential challenge of finding space for more than 150 students in the district's already over-crowded facilities.

"It's very challenging for our entire district and the school board is looking to our Long Range Planning Committee and administration to help us navigate through this challenge because we are looking at space across the district as a whole," Seymour said. "We do have opportunities like our new Winton school building opening in September 2015 that will be able to accommodate more students. Space and planning for the growth of our district is definitely a priority for all of us."

For the Post Falls School District, the matter is an excision of property. Superintendent Jerry Keane said the Post Falls Board of Trustees did not take action on the proposal.

"So consequently, I will not take a position either," Keane said. "However, I can say it is very unusual for someone to reside in one city and also be part of an adjoining school district that is connected with another city."

Keane said the existing school district boundary was set in 1948.

"Obviously, there was not any development or population in that area. It was farmland until recently," Keane told The Press.

The move, if approved, will add an estimated $45 million to the Coeur d'Alene School District's tax base. While it will not result in additional property tax dollars for the school district, it will increase the number of property owners paying off bonds and levies, and that will reduce each individual taxpayer's share. Consequently, the annexation will increase the tax burden for Post Falls property owners.

The state board of education has engaged a Lewiston attorney to hold a public hearing on behalf of the SBOE to determine whether the annexation is in the best interest of the children living in the west Landings neighborhood. The other consideration is to ensure that excision of the land from the Post Falls School District's tax base will not leave the school district with a bonded debt that exceeds the limit allowed under state law.

The hearing will likely be held during the second full week of January. A date has not yet been set.