Soda Springs Joint School District, Idaho, elections
| Soda Springs Joint School District |
|---|
 |
| District details |
| School board members: 5 |
| Students: 886 (2023-2024) |
| Schools: 4 (2023-2024) |
| Website: Link |
Soda Springs Joint School District is a school district in Idaho (Bonneville, Caribou, and Bear Lake counties). During the 2024 school year, 886 students attended one of the district's four 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
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.
See law: Idaho Statute Section 33-503
and Boise School District Charter Policy 1122
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
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.
See law: Idaho Statute Section 33-503
Party labels on the ballot
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.
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.
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.
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.
See law: Idaho State Statue 33-501, Boise School District Trustee Election Information, and Idaho State Statutes 34-1414 and Idaho State Statue 33-501, Boise 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.
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.
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.
See law: Idaho State Statue 33-501
About the district
School board
The Soda Springs Joint School District consists of five members serving three-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.
| Name | Year assumed office | Year term ends |
|---|---|---|
| Sally Jensen | 2027 | |
| Jim Stoor | 2027 | |
| Ben Goode | 2024 | 2027 |
| Steven Barker | 2025 | |
| Mike Veile | 2025 |
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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]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $1,184,000 | $1,284 | 11% |
| Local: | $2,748,000 | $2,980 | 25% |
| State: | $6,872,000 | $7,453 | 64% |
| Total: | $10,804,000 | $11,718 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $9,631,000 | $10,445 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $9,078,000 | $9,845 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $5,709,000 | $6,191 | 59% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $808,000 | $876 | 8% |
| Administration: | $861,000 | $933 | 9% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $1,700,000 | $1,843 | 18% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $427,000 | $463 | |
| Construction: | $0 | $0 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $0 | $0 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $126,000 | $136 |
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 | 47 | PS | 21-39 | PS | 60-79 | 47 | |
| 2018-2019 | 43 | PS | PS | 21-39 | PS | >=50 | 43 |
| 2017-2018 | 38 | PS | PS | <50 | PS | PS | 39 |
| 2016-2017 | 38 | PS | PS | <=20 | PS | 39 | |
| 2015-2016 | 36 | PS | PS | 21-39 | >=50 | 36 | |
| 2014-2015 | 39 | PS | PS | <50 | PS | 40 | |
| 2013-2014 | >=50 | PS | PS | >=50 | |||
| 2012-2013 | 83 | PS | PS | 60-79 | PS | >=50 | 84 |
| 2011-2012 | 84 | PS | PS | >=50 | PS | PS | 85 |
| 2010-2011 | 77 | >=50 | >=50 | PS | 60-79 | 78 |
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 | 55 | PS | 40-59 | PS | 60-79 | 55 | |
| 2018-2019 | 53 | PS | PS | 21-39 | PS | >=50 | 53 |
| 2017-2018 | 50 | PS | PS | <50 | PS | PS | 50 |
| 2016-2017 | 47 | PS | PS | 21-39 | PS | 48 | |
| 2015-2016 | 40 | PS | PS | <=20 | >=50 | 41 | |
| 2014-2015 | 48 | PS | PS | <50 | PS | 48 | |
| 2013-2014 | >=50 | PS | PS | >=50 | |||
| 2012-2013 | 91 | PS | PS | >=80 | PS | >=50 | 91 |
| 2011-2012 | 90 | PS | PS | 40-59 | PS | PS | 91 |
| 2010-2011 | 90 | >=50 | >=50 | PS | >=80 | 90 |
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 | 90-94 | PS | PS | PS | 90-94 | ||
| 2018-2019 | >=90 | PS | PS | PS | PS | >=90 | |
| 2017-2018 | 80-89 | PS | PS | PS | PS | 80-89 | |
| 2016-2017 | >=90 | PS | >=90 | ||||
| 2015-2016 | >=90 | PS | PS | PS | >=90 | ||
| 2014-2015 | >=90 | PS | PS | PS | >=90 | ||
| 2013-2014 | 90-94 | PS | PS | 90-94 |
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 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 886 | -4.1 |
| 2022-2023 | 922 | 0.0 |
| 2021-2022 | 922 | 4.7 |
| 2020-2021 | 879 | -7.5 |
| 2019-2020 | 945 | 4.1 |
| 2018-2019 | 906 | 8.4 |
| 2017-2018 | 830 | 0.2 |
| 2016-2017 | 828 | -0.4 |
| 2015-2016 | 831 | 1.8 |
| 2014-2015 | 816 | -5.9 |
| 2013-2014 | 864 | 6.8 |
| 2012-2013 | 805 | 0.4 |
| 2011-2012 | 802 | -4.2 |
| 2010-2011 | 836 | 3.3 |
| 2009-2010 | 808 | -8.5 |
| 2008-2009 | 877 | -5.4 |
| 2007-2008 | 924 | -0.6 |
| 2006-2007 | 930 | 0.5 |
| 2005-2006 | 925 | -4.4 |
| 2004-2005 | 966 | -3.5 |
| 2003-2004 | 1,000 | -2.8 |
| 2002-2003 | 1,028 | -3.1 |
| 2001-2002 | 1,060 | -3.7 |
| 2000-2001 | 1,099 | -1.9 |
| 1999-2000 | 1,120 | 0.0 |
| RACE | Soda Springs Joint School District (%) | Idaho K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| Black | 0.1 | 1.2 |
| Hispanic | 6.4 | 19.9 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Two or More Races | 2.5 | 3.4 |
| White | 89.8 | 73.1 |
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 2023-2024 school year, Soda Springs Joint School District had 50.95 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 17.39.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 0.50 |
| Kindergarten: | 0.00 |
| Elementary: | 27.17 |
| Secondary: | 23.28 |
| Total: | 50.95 |
Soda Springs Joint School District employed 1.00 district administrators and 3.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 1.00 |
| District Administrative Support: | 1.00 |
| School Administrators: | 3.00 |
| School Administrative Support: | 5.24 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 18.19 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 2.00 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 3.00 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 0.00 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 0.00 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 0.00 |
| Library/Media Support: | 2.19 |
| Student Support Services: | 0.00 |
| Other Support Services: | 14.58 |
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]
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
Footnotes
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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