District mulls options for Hayden Lake Magnet School

The Coeur d’Alene School District is looking at three options for the focus of the Hayden Lake Magnet School.

The district is looking to use a currently vacant elementary school building at the corner of Government Way and Hayden Avenue as the campus for a new magnet school. The Coeur d'Alene School District and Board of Trustees called for proposals for the new school from staff, parents and community members this spring. After going through all the proposals, the district narrowed them down to four options.

These four proposals were further developed with business plans and a survey was sent out to the community in July to see which ones gained the most traction.

The three options currently on the table are the Hayden COMPASS Academy, focusing on computer, aero- and space sciences and robotics; the G.R.I.T. Academy, which would be centered around an active learning environment and bringing fitness and health to the forefront of students’ minds; and Hayden Lake Experiential Elementary, which would give kids “21st century skills” by implementing project-based learning and thinking skills. The full proposals can be seen at https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?ik=39158128.

The surveys showed more people would be willing to enroll their children in the COMPASS Academy and offer some sort of support to the school than the other two potential schools.

The Coeur d’Alene School District Board of Trustees discussed ways to look at the surveys and make a decision.

The purpose of the Hayden Lake Magnet School is to relieve some of the district’s elementary school overpopulation. Between 250 and 300 students are expected to attend the new Magnet School in the fall of 2017.

“This was initially for overcrowding, but are these things we want only the students at the magnet school to get, or that we want all of our kids to,” Superintendent Matt Handelman said at the board meeting Monday. “I mean sometimes you have to start small, but as I was reading through these it crossed my mind that some of these things would be great for everyone.”

Board member Tom Hearn added, “these options are all so great, it will be hard to make a decision.”

District administrators and board members will meet at a workshop Friday to dive deeper into the proposals and survey results. Each proposal will be closely evaluated for viability, financial possibility and ability to gain enough attraction to effectively mitigate the district’s overpopulation.

Board Chair Casey Morrisroe expressed his interest in some sort of admissions process that would equally represent the whole community. He suggested accepting a certain number of students from each school.

“Something so it’s not just the ‘haves’ or just certain people that are getting into that school, that it really is a representation of our district,” he said.

All the board members were impressed at how much hard work and passion was behind each school proposal.

“If we can get focused, and the sky is the limit, we can create something that is unique in all the world,” board member Dave Eubanks said. “We can do something really special for our kids in the Coeur d’Alene School District.”