The Cliffs' Blog

Like many other Boise residents, I am happy to see the $94 million Boise School District bond passed this week. This bond will be used chiefly to replace and modernize old, worn-out buildings in the district, many of them on the long-neglected Central Bench. As a lifelong resident of the valley, I am very interested in the success of its schools.

Boise schools and their neighborhoods are facing disinvestment and loss of more affluent, middle-class families, who are moving to the newer suburbs of Meridian, Eagle, Kuna and Nampa. Thanks to the bond passage, the district will have fewer but better schools – schools that have recreation centers, modern classrooms, youth programs and amenities newer neighborhoods enjoy. We applaud the Boise School District for taking such a visionary approach to disinvestment and for taking the lead in urban renewal on the Boise Bench, which has seen precious little investment over the decades.

Pat Larson, a Bench resident quoted in The Statesman, summed it this way: “This is the first time they paid attention to our area.”

In fact, we hope the school district’s leadership on Bench urban renewal prompts Boise to reconsider its priorities. At this point, Boise is squandering money and political capital trying to control land outside its area of impact. We hope the school district’s commitment to the Bench prompts the City of Boise to at long last “pay attention” to its own struggling neighborhoods south of the river in a serious, coordinated fashion, as has been done with the Foothills and Downtown.

The city’s infill ordinance is a good first step, but the whole infill controversy suggests Boise officials have been overlooking the Bench for some time. It’s worth pointing out the Foothills seem to merit their own dedicated planner, but not the Bench.

For our part, we can say The Cliffs has an important role to play in the school district’s vitality. Because of our diverse housing supply, we will attract families of all socioeconomic strata, the very people who have fled the district in droves over the past decade. The Idaho Statesman put it well in an July 3, 2005 editorial, when advocating for the East ParkCenter bridge to restart the stalled Harris Ranch development: “Harris Ranch’s new housing would attract upper-middle-class taxpayers and its businesses would attract new jobs and generate taxes. That would help families with children in schools on the Bench, the North End and other parts of town where teaching and tutoring jobs are being cut.” Because The Cliffs is in the Boise School District, it would have the exact same benefits to schools.