It takes a village: Salmon residents hold ceremonial ribbon-cutting for new K-8 school
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SALMON — It took a village and nearly 20 years, but the residents of Salmon have officially cut the ribbon on their new K-8 school, which will welcome students this fall.
The Two Rivers K-8 School is scheduled to be fully completed and ready for students on their first day of school on Sept. 8. The new school has 30 classrooms and will accommodate 425 students.
The name “Two Rivers” came to be after suggestions from the community were narrowed to a top-three list, according to Salmon School District 291 Superintendent Jill Patton. She said “Two Rivers” was ultimately chosen because it honors the Native American history in Lemhi County and because it is where the Lemhi and Salmon rivers meet.
The school itself was estimated to cost roughly $29 million, but Patton told EastIdahoNews.com the actual number was closer to $28 million.
However, the school bond passed by voters in 2024 was only for $20 million, leaving $8 million to be sourced elsewhere. Patton said this is where the community and legislation came to aid in fully funding this school.
Community rallies together
Patton told EastIdahoNews.com that since 2024, legislation like House Bill 521, passed in 2024, and House Bill 338, passed in 2025, havee brought financial support to the Salmon School District.
HB 521 brought in $2.8 million, and HB 338 brought in another $9 million.
Patton said while most of these funds were earmarked for certain items — like HB 521 was meant for districts to repair, modernize and replace buildings — some of that funding was able to go to pay for the new school.
Regarding HB 521, she recalled how Gov. Brad Little spoke of it in his 2024 State of the State address, following a visit to Pioneer Elementary School.
“He didn’t name Salmon, but everybody knew who he was talking about because he had just been to Salmon on the trip,” Patton said.
Pioneer Elementary first opened its doors in 1959 and was then experiencing a crumbling foundation that caused uneven floors, drainage issues and accessibility issues for students with disabilities, according to IdahoEdNews.org.
In addition to legislative changes, Patton said the community has stepped in to make this school a possibility. Donations in the form of classroom sponsorships helped raise $600,000, with each classroom costing $20,000.
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Community members also helped build French drains to lower the water table and ensure the area was suitable for building.
Local community members donated their time and labor to excavating and filling in the area. An easy dirt-dumping location was also provided by a resident who lives just a stone’s throw away from the new school. The resident let volunteers dump the dirt into their backyard to help level out their property.
Others pitched in with hauling in sod from Idaho Sod, donating their time, gas and use of their vehicles. The steel building that makes up Two-Rivers was also donated by R & M Steel, which is estimated to cost about $1.8 million.
“In everything we’ve done, we’ve capitalized on community expertise to get things finished,” Patton said. “We could not have done this without our community.”
‘We screamed, cheered and cried’
Brienne Green, who was also a member of the district’s bond committee, said she knew the community would approve the bond in 2024 and was grateful to those who voted for that approval.
“We screamed, cheered and cried,” Greene said. “Everybody’s really happy, and they can’t wait to get their kids in there.”
Green, who has four kids in the Salmon School District, said her children were her motivation to get involved with the committee. She attended Pioneer Elementary School and said that it was time for a new school.
Chris and Kathryn Oldham said they are excited to have a new school to send their children to. Their daughter will be attending second grade, and they say the new building provides a safe place for her to learn.
“When the bond actually passed, it was just one of the best things that I have experienced in this town,” Kathryn said.
Remarks from school and state officials
Before the ribbon-cutting, school and state officials spoke to a crowd of about 100 community members outside the new school.
Alison Shrive, who has been the principal of Pioneer Elementary and will now serve as the principal of Two Rivers, said this celebration is about more than just a new school; it’s about community.
“It is a celebration of what can be accomplished when a community comes together with a shared purpose,” Shrive said. “This school will serve generations of students and families, standing as a lasting symbol of the pride, resilience, and dedication that define this community.”
State Sen. Van Burtenshaw, R-Terreton, told the crowd about the work he and Rep. Rod Furniss, R-Rigby, did to secure critical funding to help school districts repair or build new schools.
Burtenshaw said that it is amazing to see the effects of the 2024 tour that the governor did at Pioneer Elementary and how much it was discussed in the Idaho Legislature afterward. He said he heard Salmon brought up in many conversations while serving on the Senate’s education committee.
“We’re proud to be a part of this, and we cannot calculate the impact that this is going to have on this generation, and generations to come into the future,” Burtenshaw said.
Little said that Salmon is an example of how, when the entire city comes together — heart and soul — it helps to create success stories like this.
“If you think they heard about Salmon before, they’re going to hear about a lot more going forward,” Little said.
In gratitude and recognition
During his remarks, the governor also recognized R & M Steel for its contribution to Idaho’s education. “I cannot think of anybody individually, or two people individually, that have done more to help education facilities in Idaho than they have,” Little said.
He then presented Rob and Nancy Roberts with a plaque in gratitude and recognition for their donations over the decades.
Rob Roberts, president of R & M Steel, later told EastIdahoNews.com that the company has donated 50 such buildings throughout the state. When asked why he does this, he simply said, “Because we can.”
“We can design and manufacture it, deliver it, and we’re able to donate it to the school system wherever it might be,” Roberts said. “They said it was something we could do, so we just did more and more of it.”
Alongside the plaque, the Salmon School District also named the bus loop going into Two-Rivers after Roberts, calling it Roberts Lane.
