Yes. In 2023, the School Board and administration led the creation of an advisory task force that would assist East Marshall CSD with its facility planning. This group includes members of our communities.

In May 2024, the district conducted a community survey to gather feedback from residents about the facility needs identified by the task force. The survey also asked participants if they would be "supportive of the potential of closing a school building to allow the district to be more efficient?" 76.6% said yes to a potential closure, while 23.4% said no. Among parents with children in the district, support was even higher, at 79.4%.

After the November 2024 bond fell short of being approved, we conducted additional facilities committee meetings in July 2025 to directly address community concerns and develop specific solutions. In fall 2025, we will continue to hold community meetings open to all members of the public for tours of our facilities and to answer questions about the plans.

→ 2024 Community Survey Results → 2025 Cost Opinion and Analysis

The July 2025 facilities committee meeting identified three main reasons why the 2024 bond fell short of being approved:

1. Communication Breakdown: Community members felt uninformed and received inconsistent messages.

2. Gilman Building Uncertainty: There was no clear plan for what would happen to the building.

3. Financial Sustainability Fears: Community members had concerns about investing in a district where they felt the future was uncertain.

We havedirectly addressed each of these concerns in our 2025 approach.