A potential merge: District 91’s Career Technical campus could combine with Compass Academy
David Pace
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – In an era of fiscal reckoning, District 91’s Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) may be moving to a new home.
CTEC and Compass Academy
“The board asked us to research different ways to utilize our facilities more fully,” said District 91 Superintendent Karla LaOrange. “They’ve asked us to take a deeper dive into researching the costs of combining CTEC, which is located downtown, and Compass [Academy] into the existing Compass building.”
The district’s five-year lease at the former Deseret Industries building in downtown Idaho Falls expires in December, and while the district intends to extend month-by-month temporarily, it is exploring options that would allow for additional expansion of its Career Technical Education programs.
CTEC currently provides career and technical training in 14 programs – including cybersecurity, digital communications, graphic design, pharmacy tech, welding, construction, mechanics, culinary, law enforcement, fire fighting, ag science, Emergency Medical Technician, Certified Nursing Assistant and auto tech.
“Career technical is a high priority,” LaOrange said. “We have really an incredibly strong program, and a surprising number of students that have gotten jobs straight out of high school that are well-paying and allow them to move straight into the workforce.”
The existing CTEC building has a 35,000 square-foot footprint, while Compass Academy covers 112,000 square feet, according to District 91 Facilities and Maintenance Director DeAnna Harger.
A move to Compass Academy would potentially create space for greater program expansion and reduce the costs of renting the former Deseret Industries building.
While the Compass location would be shared, administration and staff for Compass and CTEC would remain separate, LaOrange clarified.
Elementary schools
Changes could also be in the works for elementary students down the road.
“The board also asked us to research how we might better utilize our elementary schools by balancing our student enrollment across the various schools in our district,” LaOrange explained.
Idaho Falls High School
The Board of Trustees is identifying its top facility priorities as it moves forward toward developing a five-year plan.
“Some of the things that they discussed in depth tonight were a better facility for CTEC so that we can grow the program a little bit more, and also how to address Idaho Falls High School,” LaOrange said. “We know it’s a building that is 70-plus years old, and that there are some constraints in that building when it comes to electricity and the size of the classrooms. So they’re asking us to take a deeper and closer look at that, and then come back to them with more information.”
No final decisions were made Tuesday night, and the Board of Trustees will continue to weigh how to best utilize its $42 million modernization funds allocated by the state, potential construction costs and the district’s enrollment trends in making final decisions.