LPOSD to vote on levy amount today

KOOTENAI — Weeks of workshops and meetings culminate tonight when the Lake Pend Oreille School Board meets to vote on a final total for the supplemental levy.

The meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Kootenai Elementary, will determine the final two-year levy increase the board will be fielding to voters. Regardless of the final tally, the 2011 and 2012 school years will see program cutbacks thanks to dried-up federal stimulus dollars, a $2 million reduction to the district in state allocations and a decreased valuation of LPOSD property.

“For most people a decrease in property value just means they pay less in property taxes,” LPOSD superintendent Dick Cvitanich said. “But for the district, it actually increases the amount we need to collect from the public.”

Cvitanich has spent the past few weeks presenting three different options to parents and property owners. A flat option of $12,878,000 limits property tax increases but results in extensive cutbacks. A middle-of-the-road total of $13,571,621 limits reductions, while a $14,115,328 option further salvages services.

It is unlikely the board will consider a $16,597,393 figure that maintains current operations as closely as possible, Cvitanich said.

“That option basically has no traction,” he added.

Tonight’s levy meeting will be the ninth in a series of workshops that have occurred since October. Cvitanich said that, despite the extensive hours that LPOSD administrators and board members have poured into levy planning, he can’t predict which way the board will vote.

“I think the school board understands the difficult economic times that Bonner County is currently experiencing,” he said. “But at the same time, I know that they’re committed to giving our students a quality education with all the opportunities that we can afford.”