Schools Pass Emergency Levies Higher Enrollments Enable Decisions, Explained As Buffer Against State Cuts

Coeur d’Alene and Bonner County school officials passed emergency levies Monday designed, in part, to offset a predicted shortfall in state funding.

Lakeland School District, too, may use part of its $309,888 emergency levy to guard itself from the statewide education budget cuts.

All three school districts were eligible for the emergency levies because of increases in the average daily attendance for the first week of school.

If it hadn’t been for the state shortfall, Coeur d’Alene officials said they only would have levied $30,000. Bonner County officials, on the other hand, cite their deficit and student body growth to justify their levy of $863,691.

Coeur d’Alene school officials said they levied extra money because of the governor’s announcement of a $26 million budget cut - $13.3 million of which will come from schools.

Coeur d’Alene schools could lose $440,000 if the cuts are not replaced by another source of funding.

So Monday, the school board passed a $470,000 emergency levy - $30,000 for an additional teacher and the rest to be held in reserve.

“It protects the kids in our district and the district from the shortfall,” explained Dave Teater, assistant superintendent of finance.

If the governor releases the holdback, or if the Legislature makes up the difference, then the school district will return the levy to the taxpayers in the form of a property tax reduction next year, Teater explained.

“We would have only certified $30,000 had it not been for the governor’s holdback,” Teater said.

In Lakeland, the first priority will be to meet the demands of the 5.7 percent growth - the highest rate in North Idaho.

What’s left over will be held in reserve in case the governor’s budget cuts become a reality, said Superintendent Bob Jones. Lakeland schools could lose $180,000, according to current estimates.

The Bonner County school board passed a $863,691 emergency levy, which will go toward teacher salaries, benefits, building and maintenance, a few new teachers and needs that arise from the budget shortfall.

The levy amounts are based on a formula that takes into account the average daily attendance, and the amount of state aid the school district got the previous year. Bonner County levied the maximum under that formula, but still less than state law allows.

Even if the cuts are restored by the state, Superintendent Max Herrell said the school district will keep the emergency money.

“This is a district that’s under-funded to begin with,” he said.

Other North Idaho school districts have either passed up emergency levies, or have designated their levies for new teachers, books and transportation needs.

They’re taking a wait-and-see approach to the threat of losing thousands of dollars from their budgets.

Kellogg schools stand to lose $93,000, Wallace schools may lose $50,000, Post Falls may lose $200,000, and St. Maries could lose between $60,000 and $80,000.

Even the smallest districts would feel the cut. Mullan School District could lose $16,000. The district was not eligible for an emergency levy because enrollment dropped by nine.

“It’s a lot for us,” said Superintendent Robin Stanley. “Particularly at a time when teachers have agreed to no salary increase because they know finances are tight.”

, DataTimes