District sets levy vote date

KOOTENAI — The supplemental levy was the biggest item on the Lake Pend Oreille School Board’s plate Tuesday night, but it wasn’t the only issue covered during the meeting.

In addition to approving to send a $13.57 million supplemental levy to voters on March 8, the board also threw its support behind the Memorial Field restoration project and approved Sandpoint High School’s plans to hold prom at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

Final discussions about the supplemental levy filled the final portion of the evening. According to superintendent Dick Cvitanich, the levy is needed to pay the salaries of one-third of the staff, all of the extracurricular and athletic opportunities and programs promoting higher student achievement.

With those factors in mind, the trustees voted to raise the two-year levy from $10,950,000 to the middling proposal of $13,571,624. The additional money will compensate for state holdbacks in education dollars, evaporating federal stimulus funds and devalued district property.

If voters approve the levy on March 8, residents with property valued at $250,000 and a homeowner’s exemption can expect their taxes to increase from $16.75 a month to $20.18.

Cvitanich said he understands tax increases are never popular, but the work that LPOSD put into the levy speaks for itself.

“This is the ninth public meeting regarding the levy,” he said. “That’s more time that we’ve put into this than any other district I know of.”

After some discussion, district officials determined to support Memorial Field’s restoration. Project proponent Doug Hawkins had been hoping the district, as the field’s primary user, would contribute to lighting and grandstand repairs. Cvitanich noted that schools had a responsibility to keep the field in good condition.

“This is something that we not only want to participate in but probably should participate in,” he said.

Trustees agreed  by authorizing a $120,000 commitment to the Memorial Field project.

The board also faced matters beyond divvying up dollars and cents when Sandpoint High School students Erica McKay, Markie Franck and Kate Caldwell presented their ideas for the year’s prom. After citing Schweitzer as the preferred prom venue, they offered plans to either let students handle the nine-mile stretch on their own or to require busing to the event.

Trustee Steve Youngdahl was uncomfortable allowing students to handle the drive themselves, saying that even if everyone signed release forms, the school still had a moral responsibility to keep students safe.

“I think the students should pile into the yellow cheese boxes to go up the hill and pile in to go down the hill,” he said, before asking the students whether they’d considered the Sandpoint Event Center for the prom.

“The Sandpoint Event Center is a great venue,” McKay said. “But Schweitzer would just be that one notch better.”

The board ultimately agreed with the student plans, passing the motion for student-initiated transportation. Trustees and administrators alike offered their compliments on the thoroughness of their presentation.