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American Falls Joint School District, Idaho, elections

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American Falls Joint School District
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District details
School board members: 5
Students: 1,572 (2022-2023)
Schools: 5 (2022-2023)
Website: Link

American Falls Joint School District is a school district in Idaho (Power and Cassia counties). During the 2023 school year, 1,572 students attended one of the district's five schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Elections

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in Idaho are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in odd-numbered years for all districts with elections governed by state law rather than a district-specific charter. As of 2022, Boise School district was the only district holding elections on a schedule dictated by its charter on a different date than the date provided by state law.

Boise School District board general elections are held on the first Tuesday of September in even-numbered years. The charter of the Boise School District was established in 1881, and, according to the secretary of state, the Boise School District is exempt from state law in cases of conflict with the charter.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Idaho Statute Section 33-503
and Boise School District Charter Policy 1122

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state except the Boise School District

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state except the Boise School District. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: September 5, 2025
  • General election date: November 4, 2025
Recent or upcoming election dates for the Boise School District, according to its district-specific charter enacted in 1881 and, per the secretary of state, exempt from state law in the case of conflict with the charter

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for the Boise School District, according to its district-specific charter enacted in 1881 and, per the secretary of state, exempt from state law in the case of conflict with the charter. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: July 3, 2026
  • General election date: September 1, 2026

Election system

School board members in Idaho are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Idaho Statute Section 33-503

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Idaho are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Idaho Statute establishes that school board candidates qualify for the ballot according to the nonpartisan candidate nominating petition process, not through a primary election or political party nomination process. Idaho Statute states that school board candidate nomination petitions, "shall bear the name of the candidate, state the term for which declaration of candidacy is made, and bear the signature of not less than five (5) school district electors" and does not provide for party affiliation information.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Idaho Statute Section 33-501

Winning an election

The school board candidates that receive the largest number of votes in the general election are elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Idaho Statute Section 33-503 and Boise School District Charter Policy 1120

Term length and staggering

School board members have four-year terms for all districts except the Boise School District.

The Boise School District board members serve six-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Idaho State Statue 33-501 and Boise School District Charter.3


Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School districts in Idaho elect board members by trustee zones (sub-districts) unless they are one of the four districts as of 2022 that were governed by charter rather than statute or that had fewer than 140 registered voters and requested to hold at large elections. School board members must be electors of their district and must reside in the trustee zone they are seeking to represent. Voters within each trustee zone vote for their representative board members. The remaining school board members can appoint a member to fill a vacancy from the district at large if they are unable to appoint a trustee from the correct trustee zone after 90 days.

School districts in Idaho with board member elections governed at least partially by local charter rather than statute can elect school board members at large by voters from the entire district instead of by trustee areas. Districts with fewer than 140 registered voters can also request to have at-large elections as well, according to statute. As of 2022, four districts elected board members at large rather than by trustee areas: Boise School District, Emmett Independent School District, Lewiston Independent School District No. 1, and Three Creek School District #416.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Idaho State Statue 33-501, Boise School District Trustee Election Information, and Idaho State Statutes 34-1414 and Idaho State Statue 33-501Boise School District Trustee Election Information, and Idaho State Statutes 34-1414

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

School board candidates in Idaho must file nomination petitions by 5:00 p.m. on the ninth Friday before the election, which means the filing deadline is in early September 60 days before the November odd-year election for all school districts except the Boise School District. Nominating petitions require signatures from five electors in the district.

Candidates for the Boise School District Board of Trustees must file nomination petitions by 5:00 p.m. on the ninth Friday before the September election, which means the filing deadline is in early July 60 days before the even-year election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Idaho State Statue 34-1404

State statute does not establish a date upon which school board candidates can begin to file nomination petitions or start to collect the required five signatures.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Idaho State Statue 34-1404

Newly elected school board members officially take office on the first day of January following their election according to statute.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Idaho State Statue 33-501

 


About the district

School board

The American Falls Joint School District consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Gabby Gonzalez
Leona Jackson
Kamren Koompin
Travis Mills
Jesalee Smith

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District map

Overlapping state house districts

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2020-2021
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $4,182,000 $2,750 22%
Local: $4,759,000 $3,129 25%
State: $10,044,000 $6,604 53%
Total: $18,985,000 $12,482
Expenditures, 2020-2021
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $17,990,000 $11,827
Total Current Expenditures: $16,858,000 $11,083
Instructional Expenditures: $9,573,000 $6,293 53%
Student and Staff Support: $1,421,000 $934 8%
Administration: $1,662,000 $1,092 9%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $4,202,000 $2,762 23%
Total Capital Outlay: $822,000 $540
Construction: $0 $0
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $0 $0
Interest on Debt: $310,000 $203

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 25 PS 17 <=20 PS 35
2018-2019 27 PS <50 16 21-39 39
2017-2018 24 PS <50 17 <=20 PS 33
2016-2017 26 PS PS 19 21-39 35
2015-2016 27 PS PS 17 <=20 36
2014-2015 27 <50 PS 18 21-39 37
2013-2014 21-39 <50 PS <50
2012-2013 78 >=50 PS 70 60-79 84
2011-2012 78 >=50 PS 67 >=80 85
2010-2011 77 >=50 PS 66 60-69 PS 86

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 38 PS 27 21-39 PS 49
2018-2019 41 PS <50 31 40-59 53
2017-2018 37 PS >=50 28 <=20 PS 47
2016-2017 39 PS PS 28 21-39 51
2015-2016 41 PS PS 29 21-39 55
2014-2015 40 >=50 PS 27 40-59 52
2013-2014 >=80 60-79 PS >=50
2012-2013 87 >=50 PS 81 >=80 92
2011-2012 87 >=50 PS 79 >=80 93
2010-2011 87 >=50 PS 78 >=90 PS 93

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 85-89 PS 90-94 PS 80-89
2018-2019 85-89 PS PS 80-89 PS >=90
2017-2018 85-89 PS 80-89 PS 80-89
2016-2017 80-84 PS PS 70-79 PS 80-89
2015-2016 80-84 PS 70-79 PS PS 80-89
2014-2015 80-84 70-79 PS PS >=90
2013-2014 80-84 PS 70-79 PS >=90

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2022-2023 1,572 -1.1
2021-2022 1,589 4.3
2020-2021 1,521 -2.0
2019-2020 1,552 5.2
2018-2019 1,472 2.3
2017-2018 1,438 -2.8
2016-2017 1,478 0.3
2015-2016 1,474 1.1
2014-2015 1,458 -1.0
2013-2014 1,472 2.6
2012-2013 1,433 -1.7
2011-2012 1,458 8.4
2010-2011 1,336 -10.1
2009-2010 1,471 -3.0
2008-2009 1,515 -2.0
2007-2008 1,545 -1.7
2006-2007 1,572 -0.1
2005-2006 1,574 -2.7
2004-2005 1,617 -0.1
2003-2004 1,619 -1.3
2002-2003 1,640 -0.5
2001-2002 1,648 -1.5
2000-2001 1,672 1.0
1999-2000 1,655 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2022-2023
RACE American Falls Joint School District (%) Idaho K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 2.2 1.0
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 0.1 1.1
Black 0.3 1.1
Hispanic 51.0 19.3
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.3
Two or More Races 0.1 3.4
White 46.3 73.8

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2022-2023 school year, American Falls Joint School District had 99.98 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 15.72.

Teachers, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 1.00
Kindergarten: 5.00
Elementary: 52.71
Secondary: 41.27
Total: 99.98

American Falls Joint School District employed 1.00 district administrators and 2.84 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.

Administrators, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 1.00
District Administrative Support: 5.45
School Administrators: 2.84
School Administrative Support: 6.38
Other staff, 2022-2023 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 33.22
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 1.50
Total Guidance Counselors: 2.17
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Librarians/Media Specialists: 0.17
Library/Media Support: 1.47
Student Support Services: 3.00
Other Support Services: 38.56

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

The American Falls Joint School District operates five schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
American Falls Academy336-12
American Falls High School4529-12
Hillcrest Elementary School374PK-2
J.R. Simplot Elementary School3623-5
William Thomas Middle School3516-8

About school boards

Education legislation in Idaho

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Idaho
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External links

  • Office website
  • Search Google News for this topic
  • Footnotes