What's the rush on the LPOSD permanent levy?

Shortly after the LPOSD $12.7 million supplemental levy was approved by voters earlier this year, a new battle cry arose: “stable funding for our schools.” So now, only a few months after the supplemental levy was approved, voters are being asked again to “support our schools” and this time make the supplemental levy permanent. I had to ask myself, what’s the rush? Bonner County taxpayers have provided our schools with stable funding of $12.7 million a year for the next two years, so why should we make this levy permanent before we understand what effect it has had in improving our children’s education?

A quick look at the 2019-2020 LPOSD budget shows that $10.3 million of the $12.7 million supplemental levy (81%) will go to “staffing.” The LPOSD chief financial officer stated in the June 4 budget summary message that the increased funding in the current levy allowed all staff that could move on in their respective matrix to move, with an average increase of 10.5% to 13.5% and that this finally places our district in competitive salary range with other regional Idaho school districts. Fair enough, since the battle cry for the supplemental levy in March was to make the staff salaries competitive and prevent a hypothetical mass exodus of staff in search of higher paying jobs elsewhere in the region. So now, let’s take some time to assess the impact of these pay raises and not rush to make this levy permanent.

Then it hit me. Even though the supplemental levy passed in March, we have yet to receive our tax bills that reflect this increased levy. So in fairness to taxpayers, we have no idea what each of us will pay for the supplemental levy until the 2019 tax bills come out after the election date! The LPOSD is asking us to approve a permanent tax increase without the taxpayers knowing what they will pay. That’s kind of like asking us to buy a new car or home without knowing what the monthly payments will be.

So let’s step back and revisit this issue in two years when the current levy expires. I urge voters to vote against authorizing the levy for an indefinite term.

RUSS JANICKE

Sagle