Lakeland, Cd'A school districts to discuss boundary shift

School zoning changes may be on the horizon for certain areas of the Coeur d'Alene and Lakeland school districts.

A joint meeting between the districts' school boards will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Midtown Meeting Center, 1505 N. Fifth St., Coeur d’Alene. Trustees will discuss two proposed boundary adjustments and gather input from property owners who may be directly affected by the changes.

The first adjustment would be to move several large areas of undeveloped land north of Lancaster Road and west of Strahorn Road from the Coeur d’Alene School District to Lakeland. The area in question is adjacent to Hayden Canyon, a large pending development project, the bulk of which is located within Lakeland's existing boundaries.

The second adjustment concerns an area of largely undeveloped property south of Hayden Avenue and west of Huetter Road, which would move from the Lakeland district to the Coeur d’Alene district. This area is directly north of property recently acquired by the Coeur d’Alene School District and creates a more consistent boundary to what was previously a series of piecemeal annexation approvals into Coeur d’Alene's boundaries.

"As development in Kootenai County is bringing Rathdrum and Coeur d’Alene neighborhoods closer together, the districts have taken this opportunity to look closer at our common boundary and consider changes that would establish a clearer, more logical dividing line," the Coeur d'Alene School District said in a news release Wednesday. "These discussions have led the two school districts to consider two adjustments that we believe better aligns with future growth patterns and patron expectations."

While the two school districts are exploring the possibility of these boundary changes, they seek to hear from potentially affected property owners, as the changes may impact where their children attend school and the amount of property taxes they pay for public education. All property owners directly affected by the proposed boundary adjustments have been notified by mail.

Patrons may email comments on the proposed changes to ltowne@cdaschools.org or submit written comments to: Lynn Towne, Clerk of the Board, Coeur d’Alene School District, 1400 N. Northwood Center Ct., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.