The real facts regarding the LPOSD school levy

The Lake Pend Oreille School District local levy is scheduled for a vote on March 12, 2019. Proponents say passage of the levy is critical to providing essential educational services and opportunities for students. Critics of the levy portray it as unnecessary and simply a “money grab” by greedy teachers and administrators for a school district already awash with too much money to spend. Let’s look at the facts of the matter.

The “too much money” / “greedy teacher” argument

According to USA Today, Idaho ranks 47th in the nation in per-pupil spending. An Education Week report also ranked Idaho near the bottom when it came to state school financing per student when adjusted for regional costs.

The national average is about $12,500 per pupil which is in direct contrast to Idaho which falls well below that mark. To put the situation in perspective; if this was an education “spending race” among the states, Idaho would be running near last place.

Greedy teachers you say? If so, teachers are doing a poor job at being greedy. Teacher salaries in Idaho also rank near the bottom with a national ranking of 44 out of 50 states. By comparison, teacher salaries and benefits in nearby Spokane exceed those of teachers working in LPOSD by more than 30 percent. Based on both per-pupil spending and Idaho teacher salaries being among the lowest in the nation, it’s obvious the levy is neither about schools wanting to spend lavishly on luxury items nor teachers wanting to “line their pockets” with extra cash.

The “unnecessary” argument

The reality is funding for Idaho schools is inadequate. For those who think otherwise, take a tour of the middle school. The facility is so out of date that it darn near qualifies as a historic landmark. Consequently, the overwhelming majority of local school districts rely on local voter approved levies to make up for the shortfall in funding. For example, the LPOSD levy funds one-third of all district employees. That’s 300 people who are at risk of losing their jobs if the levy does not pass. These same people play an important role in LPOSD schools consistently receiving high marks for academic excellence and an almost 90 percent participation rate in high school activities.

By the way, the local levy funds all middle school and high school academic and extracurricular activities such as football, basketball, band, cheerleading, drama club, track, soccer, baseball, and math club to name a few.

These activities go away if the levy fails to pass. The levy will also keep rural schools open, support the Homeschool Academy, fund all instructional materials, and augment the school resource officer positions.

In short, the assertion that the levy is unnecessary promotes the idea that children will excel in an environment with fewer schools, 300 fewer employees, minimal instructional materials, and no extra-curricular activities.

The decision to vote

The local levy is essential to our children’s education. This levy doesn’t pay for the vacation of some corrupt faraway politician. It’s passage provides opportunities for our children in our community in our schools. Do we want schools with excellent academics, a safe learning environment, and the opportunity for young people to participate in positive activities? Or are we willing to fail our children and be satisfied with substandard schools? It’s our choice.

Wade Engelson, Ed. D., served as the Sandpoint High School Boys’ varsity basketball coach.