PONDERAY — The Lake Pend Oreille School Board voted to approve the relocation of the Lake Pend Orielle High School from its current campus on North Boyer Avenue to two portable classrooms and a former driver’s education building Tuesday. 

The district announced the decision earlier this year, after district officials said the alternative school had experienced reduced funding due to declining enrollment and falls short of many modern standards for accessibility, systems, and functionality. 

Since the decision has been proposed, many community members have advocated that the school should remain at its current location, saying it fosters a safe environment for students that had negative experiences at Sandpoint High School and provides an alternative education for students who have different educational needs. 

Dr. Becky Meyer said the initial recommendation was made so LPOHS students would have expanded opportunities for electives and access to the Career Technical Education Center. 

That rationale was challenged as teachers, former students, parents, and community members spoke at the pulpit during public comment, some of them challenging the legality of the decision and refuting the notion that the school's relocation will expand options for its students. 

Public commentator Sarah Burrough said Meyer had identified the current bus schedule for alternative students traveling to SHS for electives as a problem. However, Burrough argued that permanently eliminating electives, reassigning teachers, reducing support for programs and incentivizing teacher retirements amounted to the administration engineering a decline in campus utility. 

"Our students did not choose to be bused across town. The administration made them get on those buses by starving their historic campus of resources," said Burrough. 

As principal of LPOHS for several years, Meyer said she has seen firsthand how integral alternative high school students and their families are to the community. 

Meyer said she wants to ensure students are equipped with the workforce-ready skills needed to enter local industries, especially as many choose to remain in Sandpoint after graduation. 

Tari Pardini said the district's decision to relocate the school sends a clear demoralizing message about how the district values the alternative path. 

"Shifting them to portables behind a younger grade level sends a clear demoralizing message about how this district values the alternative path," said Pardini, "Forcing them into this consolidated space will not increase participation, it will drive many of our most vulnerable kids out of the education system entirely. 

Meyer said she believes the relocation will be in the students' best interest in the long run, adding it is unfair to assume they are unable to learn in a new location. 

"I truly believe in my heart that it's best for students' long term, and it's fiscally responsible for all the taxpayers," said Meyer. 

Janice Radar, a parent of children who attended the alternative school, disputed that statement, saying the relocation would instead create an immediate destructive liability for local taxpayers. 

"You are spending state middle school modernization dollars to install permanent infrastructure for a future high school footprint, diverting state facility money to prep an unvoted high school relocation is an unauthorized allocation of state funds," said Radar. 

Meyer addressed the 30-page grievance that was filed against the district because of the school's relocation decision. She also apologized to the school board and the public, saying she had "no idea that this was going to be such a hot button topic." 

Meyer said the district has “been cleared” of many of the claims that were raised, including the alleged open meeting law violation and several other allegations in the grievance. 

“I’m personally disappointed with the false allegations,” she said.