PRIEST RIVER — Superintendent Kim Spacek announced during a March 19 board meeting that West Bonner County School District intends to launch a hybrid homeschool academy for the 2025-26 academic year. 

Spacek told attendees that the program would supplementally support homeschool families by providing instruction and facilities they can use when they need to. 

“We have some good things we want to give to the community,” Spacek said. “Not just for kids in the school system, but every kid in the community, and every parent and family who wants to have support in educating their kids.” 

According to Spacek, the district intends to accommodate 100-200 students in the program’s first year. WBCSD’s administrative team will refine the plan in the coming weeks, and staff will present “something solid” in an April meeting. 

The program could come to resemble Lake Pend Oreille School District’s Homeschool Academy, where students attend one or two full days each week to participate in field trips and educational activities designed as enhancements to instruction received at home. 

Later, district trustees discussed a two-year, $2.35 million-per-year proposed levy that will come before voters in the May 20 election. 

The levy would fund employment, bus acquisition, classroom resources, extra- and co-curricular activities and other items and programs. Trustees and staff have said the district may have to close Priest Lake and Idaho Hill elementary schools if the measure fails. 

Trustee Kathy Nash emphasized that WBCSD must prove to voters that it is fiscally responsible in order to receive the support necessary to pass a levy. 

“Let's not hide from our poor track record,” said Nash. “We cannot just sweep that history under the rug or hide our heads in the sand and hope it goes away.” 

“This is a serious problem, and it presents the greatest challenge to this proposed levy and any future levies,” she added. 

Vice Chair Margaret Hall told attendees that she recognized the district has erred in the past, but that she hopes the recent step to expand the district’s finance committee will help improve compliance. 

“I think we've gone through a lot, but I feel like we are all working really hard to identify the right policies that are out there and make sure that we're now following them,” she said. 

Trustee Paul Turco added that he believes the WBCSD is heading in the right direction and is improving its accountability. 

“You can ask for forgiveness, you can say sorry, and then you have no other choice but to live in the present and move forward. And that's what this district is doing,” Turco said. “It's a black eye. We wear it, and we're better today than we were then.”