West Ada School District trustees are considering closing McMillan Elementary in Boise after the current academic year, with a final vote expected Nov. 9. McMillan Elementary enrollment has fallen 62% over 12 years, from levels not provided in the available facts to 171 pupils in September. District projections place enrollment at 121 students by 2031.
McMillan Elementary Closure Debate
The district’s parent-driven long-range planning committee supported considering decommissioning the school. Administrators said the district spends as much as $100,000 each year heating and cooling unused rooms at McMillan. Some grades have only one class.
David Reinhart described McMillan’s surrounding area as “really our consolidated corridor.” The six closest elementary schools have more than 1,000 combined open spots, according to the district’s figures. The six-school list includes Summerwind STEM Academy and Pioneer School of the Arts.
Community School Resources and Student Transfers
McMillan is one of five Title 1 “Community Schools” in West Ada. If trustees approve closure, those community-school resources would be redirected to another area school.
McMillan community members have opposed the possible closure. Cara Mace said the school provides services beyond classroom instruction and described closing it as “the removal of a lifeline from the students who need it most.”
Transportation and Boundary Changes
Fifteen McMillan students currently ride buses at an annual transportation cost of $15,000. District figures describe a hypothetical scenario in which 50 students would need transportation after boundary changes, costing $50,000 per year.
Ninety percent of McMillan students live within 1.5 miles of another West Ada school. The administration plans to present redrawn attendance boundaries by February if McMillan is decommissioned.
The district has said all McMillan teachers and staff would receive guaranteed positions at another West Ada school. Board Vice Chair Rene Ozuna said she hoped former teachers could remain with their former students and that McMillan students might be redistricted together.