Parents call on WBCSD to run levy

▶️ Audio story available.

PRIEST RIVER — More than a half-dozen parents and community members appealed to the West Bonner school board Wednesday to consider putting a supplemental levy on the ballot in May.

"I've always been a supporter of education, always will be," Steve Booth told the board. "We need to have a levy. We can't run a school without money. As I understand it, the money runs out [in] September, October, somewhere around there. We've got to get one on the books, and we need to vote on it in May."

However, not all who addressed the board favored the move, with most critics saying that the district must first get its financial house in order.

"If you want it to pass, trust has to be established," taxpayer John Dupree said. "And right now, there are so many things that have not been looked at, studied, or reviewed that the trust of the county isn't happening here."

Failure to place a levy on the ballot — and pass it — would be detrimental to the district and its students, supporters of a levy warned. Students and staff would again be left wondering if there was money for their salaries or if extracurricular activities would be held.

While critics of a proposed levy said the district needs to wait for the results of a forensic audit — which could be completed as soon as late March — supporters said that doesn't help the district pay its bills or keep the schools open. It also pushes the district outside the window of putting a levy on the May ballot, which has a March 22 deadline for measures to be submitted.

While all sides agree the forensic audit will provide certainty over the district's financial health, there is disagreement over when a levy should be proposed. Supporters say West Bonner needs to plan for the next school year now and that district staff is simultaneously working on the forensic audit, its annual audit, development of the 2024–25 budget, including potential shortfalls, and working on solutions to any accounting shortcomings.

"We're behind where we [should be] but where we're not behind is the deadline," parent Katie Elsaesser said in her support for a levy. "The deadline is fast approaching. We need to run a levy. We need trustees to support our public schools and not be speaking against things that help our students."

However, critics say that ongoing concerns over the district's finances dictate that the results of the audit — and corrective measures implemented — take priority, with any levy only being put to voters once the district has re-earned their trust. While many offered their support of a potential levy, others said such a measure would be premature if done before the district's ongoing forensic audit is completed.

Maureen Paterson, Catherine Barlow, and a third critic coordinated their presentation of five questions surrounding either the proposed levy or the ongoing forensic audit.

"There are too many questions generated by the forensic audit that the board needs to ask the auditor," Paterson said in leading off the trio.

Barlow also called on the board to address their audit concerns, the district's overall financial practices, and whether any member of the board of district staff had ever attempted to limit the audit's scope.

Accountability is key to re-establishing trust with voters, Paterson said.

Many of the parents encouraged the district to run any levy for two years instead of one, saying both the district and students needed the certainty of knowing there was enough money to keep schools open.

"In my opinion, this district has been run for too long on bare-minimum funding, even with levy monies," Merrily Brumley told trustees. "Let's figure out what we need to do to fully fund the district. … Like most people, I don't want to pay more in taxes. However, I also feel that the children in my life are worth the additional money. If I have to skip some of life's unnecessary spending, I will do that."

Newly elected trustee Kathy Nash lent her voice to those urging an audit-first approach, saying West Bonner School District must first fix "a broken and failing system" and restore voters' trust. It must first have complete and accurate data, and know the state of the forensic audit before it moves forward on a levy. Facts must dictate how the district moves forward and determine any levy amount instead of "wish lists" from various departments or committees.

"As a trustee and treasurer, I would like to warn against putting a levy on the ballot," Nash said, citing the short timeframe, incomplete data, and a need to prioritize safety and educational outcomes. 

"[We need] to fix the holes in the system that have brought us to this point," she added.

However, new trustee Paul Turco disagreed, saying recent claims regarding the forensic audit and potential levy were both false and damaging to the district's students, staff, and schools.

He encouraged those spreading the claims to practice the "three Cs" of accountability: clarity, commitment, and consequences. While committed to the forensic audit and fixing any potential issues found, Turco said that is not mutually exclusive with preparing to run a supplemental levy.

"The forensic audit and possible supplemental levy are two different things," Turco said. "The forensic audit is looking at the past, with an attempt at placing blame and pointing fingers. The supplemental levy is looking toward the future, our future, and the future of the children of West Bonner County School District 83. Public education is not a take-it-or-leave-it scenario."

Given how public education is funded, Turco said West Bonner does not get enough funding to operate without a supplemental levy.

"A simple analogy for school funding is a cup of water," he added. "In Idaho, the state fills two-thirds of it, and local taxpayers need to fill the rest. Each year, the cup of water is empty, and I'm going to push and do everything I can to make sure we fill it up this year."