HELENA — Some Basin residents are saying a lack of communication led to Basin School remaining "non-operational."
"Procedures, how to follow, and dates - if that had been communicated better, I do believe a lot of this could have been averted," said DeDe Rhodes, who lives in Basin.
She put hours into getting the school back up and running, finding students to enroll, getting teachers to apply, and remodeling a home that would be rent-free for the teacher.
Yet in the end, the Basin School board confirmed Wednesday that they will not be able to open their doors to students this month.
"I feel wounded," said DeDe Rhodes. "We did do an awful lot as a community in a very short time frame."
The community had hope after two students enrolled and teacher applications came in, but state law says that since the board voted to go non-operational after June 1st.
The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) cannot give them the approval to return for this school year.
Rhodes is not the only one feeling disheartened.
"I am beyond frustrated and angry," said Sarah Eyer, the Jefferson County superintendent of schools.
She and Basin school board member Scott Brock said they were not aware of this deadline.
Eyer says it might have been too risky for the board not to approve non-operational status in the first place, as at one point, they did not have a teacher or students.
"We would have said we're running a school, submitted a budget on August 15th, had no school, and OPI would have withheld our funds," said Eyer.
She says they consulted with an attorney and worked with the Montana School Board Association.
Eyer also says she had discussions with OPI staff, and she claims at least one of them said there was a possibility of moving that deadline, but the final call from OPI was not to do that.
Eyer said, "For them to do this was just – I'm still – I can't. I just can't."
I reached out to OPI, and they responded with the statement below:
"Over the past several months, staff at the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) have worked diligently to provide Basin School with all relevant information and statutory guidance. This matter was decided locally by the school's board of trustees through a formal vote.
In accordance with Montana Code Annotated (MCA) 20-6-502, once a school is officially designated as non-operational by its board, OPI is obligated to follow the procedures outlined in state law. Our role is to ensure compliance with those statutes and to support districts through the process."
Even though the 130-year-old school will have no students for the first time, the community is not done trying.
"This school is going to open up next year with students, and a teacher, and a para, and whatever else it needs," said Rhodes. "This community is going to make sure it happens."
The school will need to apply to resume operations by June 1st, 2026, to reopen for the next school year.
