Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

School Districts Take Requests To Voters

The Lakeland School District will have a school lunch program for the first time if voters approve a one-year supplemental levy.

On Tuesday, the Lakeland, Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai school districts will ask residents to increase or maintain their property taxes. On the same day, eight Panhandle districts have board of trustee races, which determine the leadership of community schools.

Any district resident may vote in levy elections. School board elections are limited to voters who live within a given trustee zone. Incumbents whose seats are up for election, but are not contested, are not listed below.

Here’s a rundown of district elections, alphabetically:

Bonner County:

Incumbent trustee Rebecca Hawkins faces challenger Jerry Owens. Polling places for that race are Priest Lake Elementary, Laclede Community Hall and Sandpoint High School.

Incumbent Bill Osmunson is being opposed by Tom Fuhriman. In that zone, polling places are Kootenai City Hall, Farmin Elementary and Sandpoint City Hall.

Polls are open from noon to 8 p.m.

Boundary County:

Incumbent board member Tom Foust is being challenged by John Lindberg. Voting will be at the Naples school, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Coeur d’Alene:

The two-year supplemental levy of $2.97 million per year represents 8.3 percent of the school district’s budget. Administrators say the money is needed to maintain programs, the student-teacher ratio and accreditation standards, as well as provide for growing numbers of students.

The levy needs a simple majority to pass. It would replace the current supplemental levy, so property owners would not see an increase in their property tax bills if the measure passes. The average homeowner may see a slight decrease.

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at all elementary schools, both middle schools and both high schools, as well as Kootenai Medical Center and North Idaho College.

Kellogg:

Incumbent Pam Worth is opposed by Dale Jacobs; incumbent Susan Costa faces Mike Stevenson. Voting will be at Sunnyside Elementary from noon to 7 p.m.

Kootenai:

Harrison-area residents will be asked to renew a $175,000, two-year supplemental levy to keep the schools operating at the current level. If the measure passes, taxes will drop slightly from present levels because assessed value of property in the district has gone up.

Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. at Harrison Elementary, Harrison EMT building, East Side fire station at Carlin Bay, Medicine Mountain Grange, and the Sharon Smith residence at Hells Gulch.

There is one trustee race, in the O’Gara zone. Incumbent Jean Dohrman faces Angela Wilson. Voting will be at Harrison Elementary.

Lakeland:

The school district is asking voters to approve a one-year supplemental levy of $725,000 to equip kitchens and buy vans to transport meals. That would allow the district to start providing hot school lunches, as is done in nearly every school in the state.

A resident whose house and land have a market value of $100,000, plus a homeowner’s exemption, would pay $47 per year in additional taxes. The program would be self-supporting, so there would be no expense in future years to property taxpayers.

Voters also will be asked to renew a $18,000 levy to pay for activity buses, which serve Hauser Lake, Spirit Lake and Athol/Bayview.

A simple majority is needed to pass both levies. Polls will be open from noon to 8 p.m. at all elementary schools, the Bayview Community Center, and the Hauser Lake and Twin Lakes fire stations.

Lakeland has two trustee races. Incumbent Joyce Nowacki, who represents Hauser Lake and Hidden Valley, is being challenged by George Riffle Jr. and Lucy Zychek. Polling places are the Hauser Lake Fire Station and Betty Kiefer Elementary.

In the Rathdrum area, Brenda Schweikert and Larry Brown are running against incumbent Harry Selby. Polling places in that race are John Brown and Betty Kiefer elementaries.

Plummer/Worley:

Randy Holt and Joe Wienclaw are competing for the trustee seat being vacated by David Harding. The polling place is at Lakeside Elementary. It will be open from noon to 8 p.m.

Post Falls:

Rose Worsfold and Charles Eberle are competing for the trustee seat being vacated by Bob Ickes. Residents may vote if they live south of the Spokane River and west of McGuire Road. Voting will be at Seltice Elementary from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

St. Maries:

Trustee incumbent Scott Burpee faces challenger Charles E. “Eddie” Eppler. Voting will take place in the Washington Water Power building from noon to 8 p.m.

, DataTimes