$10.95M supplemental levy vote OK'd

SANDPOINT — The word supplemental in regard to an upcoming Lake Pend Oreille School District levy is a misnomer, says one board member.

The levy is, in fact, the second piece of funding needed to pay for services the district provides and its patrons want, said board member Steve Youngdahl at Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

Trustees unanimously voted to go forward with the two-year, $10,950,000 levy. It will appear on the ballot Feb. 24

It is important to have a “conversation with the public” so they know that passing the levy is critical, especially given a Monday announcement by Gov. Butch Otter that he will request a 5.3 percent reduction in education funding for the 2010 fiscal year, which begins in July, said board vice chairman Mindy Cameron.

“We really, really need to pass this because we’re facing dire circumstances without it,” she said, adding that even if the levy passes, the district still faces financial challenges.

It is more likely that the funding reduction will amount to 5.6 percent based on information from state Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna, said LPOSD business manager Lisa Hals.

That amounts to a $1.1 million decrease in funding for LPOSD, she said. The district also is continuing to predict an enrollment decrease — which is another potential funding decrease.

Given Otter’s stance on funding next year’s education budget, board members also discussed whether wording on the supplemental levy resolution gives them the flexibility to make changes in how they fund those specific programs should they need to make further changes or cuts to particular programs, such as the upper quartile program, related to possibly more funding cuts.

It may be necessary to have three rather than five teachers for that program, said board chairman Vickie Pfeifer.

“It very possible that trustees and staff will have to re-examine a cut list, said Superintendent Dick Cvitanich. “We just need to plan for it.”

Pfeifer also stressed that the board made a concerted effort to address taxpayers’ concerns related to holding a levy during a difficult economic time by assessing almost $2 million less the first year than the second.

The levy’s first year would cost taxpayers the same as they are paying this year, but would decrease the following year because the plant facilities levy would no longer be on the books.

Trustees and school district officials spent several months vetting the proposed levy, meeting nine times to address what they anticipated would be a difficult process.

The levy represents 21 percent of staff funding or 1-in-5 teachers. It also covers classroom funding, in addition to extracurricular and after school activities, plus information technology support staff.

Most school districts in Idaho have supplemental levies on their books to cover basic operations. The issue many education supporters contend is directly related to a state funding formula which has not been updated since the mid-1990s.

Since that time school districts have added computers and all of their related expenses to their toolbox and have had to implement a much more rigorous testing scheduled under the No Child Left Behind Act.