Old Sears building to possibly become charter school

CHUBBUCK — The Sears in the Pine Ridge Mall in Chubbuck closed in 2014 and has been empty ever since.

But, the building may soon turn into the biggest charter school in the Pocatello area.

Gem Prep Pocatello opened in 2014. It’s a local charter school with around 140 students and the school plans to move into the old Sears building by the 2019 school year.

Gem prep is a K-5 school and moving into the 78,00 square foot Pine Ridge Mall building will allow the facility to expand into a K-12 school in 2019.

One reason for Gem Prep’s move is the Sears building is a central location compared to the neighborhood the school is currently tucked away in near West Quinn Road in Pocatello.

Gem Prep already has drawings of what the new school could look like and staff is excited for the extra space.

“We’ll have bigger classrooms, we’ll have a lunchroom, we’ll have a gymnasium for all the students,” says Gerald Love, Gem Prep’s Principal. “We’re so excited because at the new building. We’ll also have access to a lot more security features, and we don’t have to worry about, you know, being exposed.”

The public is invited to attend a public hearing on the new school on June 12 at 7 p.m. at Chubbuck City Hall.

Students may register at Gem Prep for the upcoming school year by clicking here.