Lake Pend Oreille School District Confirms No Plans to Sell Boyer Avenue Property
Sandpoint, Idaho — The Lake Pend Oreille School District has pushed back firmly against community rumors that it intends to sell the property housing the Lake Pend Oreille Alternative High School at 1005 N. Boyer Ave., clarifying that a recent appraisal of the site was required by state law — not a precursor to a sale.
During the school board’s regular monthly meeting on May 12, board members addressed public concern over the future of both the aging Boyer Avenue facility and the alternative high school program itself. Board Chair Lonnie Williams was direct: the district is not selling the property and has no plans to do so.
“The reason for the appraisal is because it’s law. We have to get an appraisal,” Williams said. “The reason for the appraisal is not because we’re selling the property. We’re not selling the property; it is not going to happen.”
Williams also noted that the district may have future use for the Boyer property, and that committing to a sale would unfairly restrict the options available to current and future school boards.
Building Closes, School Remains Open
The distinction between closing a building and closing a school was a central theme of the meeting. LPOSD Superintendent Becky Meyer addressed what she characterized as misinformation circulating on social media, stating that the school itself will remain operational.
“We still have people in the community that said they are hearing from people and seeing on social media that the board is planning on closing LPOHS. That is absolutely a lie,” Meyer said, adding that the program will continue as long as she serves as superintendent.
The district announced in February its intention to cease using the 117-year-old Boyer Avenue building, citing maintenance and renovation costs that LPOSD says it cannot currently afford. An appraisal conducted by Valbridge Property Advisors found that while the land itself carries value — estimated at approximately $1.34 million — the structures on the property have reached the end of their serviceable lives.
With enrollment at LPOHS sitting at roughly 50 students for the upcoming 2026-27 school year, state funding eligibility for the program is limited. State-level budget pressures on education have already resulted in cuts across Idaho, compounding the district’s financial constraints. The low enrollment numbers, however, were framed by board leadership not as a crisis but as a reflection of successful student outcomes.
“The facts are that we have a shrinking population of students at LPOHS — and this is not a statistic that we should be worried about. This is a success story,” Williams said.
Relocation Set for 2027-28 School Year
LPOHS students are scheduled to relocate to portable classrooms behind Sandpoint Middle School for the 2027-28 academic year, once construction improvements to the main SMS building are completed. During the construction period, LPOHS will use the portables, freeing the middle school facility for renovation work.
In the near term, budget limitations mean the alternative high school will not offer electives during the coming school year. Instead, students will bus to Sandpoint High School for non-core coursework or access those classes online. Superintendent Meyer framed the eventual consolidation as an equity issue, arguing that requiring students to repeatedly bus between campuses for electives is neither practical nor fair.
Not everyone in the room agreed. Several community members spoke during public comment, including former district employee Tari Pardini, who raised concerns about how LPOHS students might be perceived by peers when traveling between portables and the main SHS campus. Culinary arts teacher Rand Rosecrans urged the board to keep exploring alternative locations, saying plainly: “I think it’s a mistake.”
The community discussion reflects broader questions about how the district balances fiscal responsibility with equitable access to programs — a challenge familiar to many rural North Idaho districts managing aging infrastructure and shifting enrollment. Local construction contracts, such as the recently awarded Sandpoint Library project, illustrate the broader demand on regional building resources that school districts also compete within.
What Comes Next
The Lake Pend Oreille School Board meets on the second Tuesday of each month at its Ponderay headquarters, located at 365 Triangle Drive. Meeting agendas and recordings are available through the district’s board of trustees page at posd.org. The next major milestones for LPOHS will include finalizing the portable campus transition timeline and monitoring enrollment figures as the 2026-27 school year approaches.