Plummer-Worley Loses Students Many Parents Want To Send Children To Potlatch Because It’s Closer, Bigger And Offers More Variety Of Classes

Nearly half of the Plummer-Worley School District’s enrollment decline is due to families taking their children to a nearby Latah County school.

This year, 18 Plummer-Worley school district students petitioned the state to attend school in the neighboring Potlatch School District.

For some, the move is a matter of miles. Residents in southern Benewah County find it easier to go to Potlatch, because it’s closer to their homes than Plummer.

But parents are telling new Plummer-Worley School District Superintendent George Asan there are other reasons for their exodus - such as different curricular offerings.

“They are bigger than us,” Asan pointed out. “They may offer some different classes that we don’t offer.”

Potlatch School District Superintendent Don Armstrong said several Plummer-Worley students have had to be turned away because of space constraints.

“We are telling them don’t bother to apply because there is no room here,” he said.

Some families in the Sanders area even asked the Potlatch School District to include some of southern Benewah County into its boundaries. “I’ve said we are not interested in that, we don’t want to send a bus over that hill,” Armstrong said of the curvy pass at the county line.

The Plummer-Worley School District’s enrollment dropped by 50 students this year. Asan said the district may have to adjust spending to make up for the lost revenue . The school board is considering dropping track and golf in the spring.

“Certainly being down 50 students creates a different financial scenario for us,” Asan said.

, DataTimes