LPOSD: Mailing filled with errors

SANDPOINT - A last-minute mailing encouraging people to vote against Tuesday's plant facilities levy is untruthful, said Supt. Dick Cvitanich.

“I certainly support the individual's right to this action,” Cvitanich said. “What I cannot support is the ill informed facts that are put forth in the letter.”

The unsigned mailing states a proposed addition at Kootenai Elementary will increase Lake Pend Oreille School District's operational costs by $3 million a year and would result in a new biannual levy of $15 million.

That statement could not be further from the truth, Cvitanich said.

In fact, the district expects to save money with the levy by upgrading boilers, purchasing 11 new school buses and fleet vehicles, he said.

By purchasing a new boiler at Farmin, the district would save money by reducing energy costs and by not having to send someone to work on it. Instead, the boiler could be controlled via a computer system, thereby eliminating the need for staff to physically work on it.

Avista also offers a program in which the district would receive money back from the utility when it purchases new boilers. In the past, the district has received a 50 percent rebate on the boilers' cost.

Cvitanich also called the $15 million supplemental levy statement absurd, given that the current supplemental levy is $4.5 million a year.

“The author obviously has insights that neither our board of trustees nor myself have into the future,” he said.

The supplemental and plant facilities levies would not be assessed at the same time.

Also untrue is the author's allegation that once Kootenai construction is complete, 120 students now attending Farmin would be moved to Kootenai while teaching staff would remain at Farmin, Cvitanich said.

“ This is a ridiculous charge,” he said. “The allocation of our teaching staff is driven by the number of students attending a school. This is the way Idaho funds education and the method we use to allocate these funds. Therefore, staff allocation is directly correlated to student population.

The $14.1 million plant facilities levy would add 11 classrooms, a gym, administration offices and entryway to Kootenai Elementary, four classrooms at Sagle, a modular science classroom at Washington Elementary, plus be used for health, safety and school maintenance.

The author also said the district's cost per student would increase from $5,000 to $10,000 per student. However, Cvitanich said nothing has been spent by voters during the past 16 years on construction or remodeling levies.

“I don't have a problem with people voting no, although I would like them to vote yes,” except when that information is incorrect, Cvitanich said.

The levy requires 55 plus one vote for approval. Taxpayers would pay $129 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value the first year and $123 per $100,000 during the levy's second year.