Post Falls School To End Overcrowding Officials Hope To Reclaim Kids Driven Off By Double Shifts

For junior Eric Gain, the opening of the new $18 million Post Falls High School means no more outdated computers and a high-tech drafting room to advance his architectural aspirations.

An end to shared lockers is an added bonus the 16-year-old found while touring the gigantic school Thursday with his father and freshman sister.

“It’s awesome,” Gain said, his mouth gaping at the multipurpose room for anything from floor hockey to wrestling.

Pride beams across Superintendent Dick Harris’ face.

“The wrestling coach is drooling,” Harris said with a wink.

After all, the battle to fund the facility was tough. After four failed bond attempts and a one-vote success in March 1998, Harris believes taxpayers should be ecstatic about their purchase, which will double the amount of space and end detested split shifts at the middle school.

Harris said the ability to enhance classes, such as Gain’s drafting course, and offer new facilities, such as a greenhouse, are major pluses.

“I want this community to be proud of its school system,” Harris said.

Gain’s father, Mike, is impressed.

“The best thing is: It’s built for expansion,” said Gain, who dealt with double-shifting schedules for both his children.

With two floors, a courtyard providing natural light to classrooms and a gym, the cement building can house 1,800 students. Harris expects only 1,100 this fall, but he knows Post Falls’ population growth is unstoppable. Almost wincing at the possibility, Harris said the district will need to consider building more schools, possibly another high school, in the next decade.

He expects another good mark for the district - the return of students who fled to private, charter and home schools to escape overcrowding and poor technology.

Harris has no idea how much re-enrollment the district will see, but he does know their return will show progress in a system that has braved its share of hurdles.

“It’s a good indicator, barometer, of the school system,” Harris said.

Although no evidence exists, except some anecdotal rumors, to support Harris’ re-enrollment theory, his gut knows it’s true.

Principals are talking about the possibility of students returning, and Nels Pitotti, Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy dean of students, said he’s aware of the potential loss of his Post Falls students. Yet, Pitotti knows no one who’s actually leaving the charter school to become a Trojan.

Overcrowding has been the main deterrent, forcing middle-schoolers to double shift for the last three years. Parents, teachers and students coped with the arrangement, yet tragedy struck when a drunken driver killed seventh-grader Nicholas Scherling in 1997 while he was walking his bike home in the dark after the school’s second shift.

Harris said everyone is relieved to have double shifts behind them, and that’s one of the reasons he believes students are coming back.

“It’s probably a combination of getting off double-shifting and also the brand new high school has space and certainly improved programs,” Harris said.

Nobody will know how many students and parents decided to rejoin the system until September’s first weeks, when enrollment is tallied.

Principal John Billetz, who peeked in on Harris’ tour, said he knows 20 new students have enrolled. It’s unknown how many of these high-schoolers are previous students.