Jefferson School District opens new elementary school
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RIGBY — A brand new elementary school in Rigby opened just in time for the new school year.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Wednesday afternoon at Cottonwood Elementary School, a new school in Jefferson Joint School District 251. Cottonwood Elementary, located at 3955 East 200 North, brings the total amount of elementary schools in the district to six.
“It was sure nice to realize we have this building to get into. We’ve been working on it for well over a year now,” the district’s Superintendent Chad Martin told EastIdahoNews.com. “I think the community is excited and the teachers are definitely very excited.”
There’s been a need in the community to have a new school to accommodate for the growth in the district, according to Martin. He said they’ve been one of the fastest-growing school districts in the state for several years.
Previous additions were made on two other elementary schools in the district to help with the elementary growth, Martin explained.
“It’s going to be very helpful (to have Cottonwood Elementary) to give us a little bit of breathing room,” Martin stated. “The growth is continuing, so it probably won’t last for long, but it’s nice to have.”
The groundbreaking for Cottonwood Elementary took place April 2019. During the construction process and when COVID-19 hit, there was a time when Martin said they were worried the school might not open in the fall.
He explained that because factories were shut down due to the virus, that changed their original finish date that was supposed to be around the first of July.
“There were some supplies that they (contractors) had a hard time getting and some materials, so that had us concerned and it did push us back a little bit,” Martin said. “Our contractors (Bateman Hall) did a great job working with suppliers and finding alternate sources and we got it done.”
Martin is looking forward to the upcoming school year with the new building. He would like the community and patrons to know how grateful district employees are for their support in helping them provide students with the new school.
“We’re excited to get something that resembles normalcy for a while and do the best we can,” Martin said. “It’s good to see kids again and see our halls with kids in them and teachers in the classrooms.”
The first day of school is Sept. 2.