Boundary schools deserve a chance
To hear levy opponents tell it, the Boundary County School District is awash in money, administration, school buildings – and even janitors.
Despite Boundary County’s spending less per student than any district of comparable size in Idaho’s six northern counties, the anti-tax element claims the district can spend even less. Although 17 of those 19 districts stage levy elections regularly, these implacable foes paint dedicated administrators, teachers, trustees and school supporters as empire-building money-grabbers. And they simply shrug when civic leaders, such as Bonners Ferry Mayor Darrell Kerby and others, warn of the consequences of voting down levies: layoffs, a school closure and elimination of sports and extracurricular activities, to name a few.
“You would think that after 14 years of out-of-control spending that they would learn to stay within their budget,” states the Boundary County Property Owners Association in an advertisement.
Uncommitted voters should not be swayed by such anti-education rhetoric. Their support will be needed to approve the $799,700 levy on the ballot Tuesday when every vote will count. The March 29 election was defeated by 82 votes. The 2002 high school levy passed by 12 votes. A switch of a few dozen votes can remove the naysayers’ fingers from the throat of Boundary County’s public schools.
A simple majority is needed to pass the two-year levy, which is $185,000 less annually than the expiring levy.
Unfortunately, school officials gave their foes a stick with which to beat them by promising to run only one levy this year, win or lose.
That was a foolhardy pledge from good-hearted school supporters who may have been lured into false hope that the community had turned the corner on school funding when patrons approved the 2002 high school levy and subsequent supplemental levies. After identifying $1 million in cuts to be made following the levy loss in March, trustees made the right decision on behalf of the district’s 1,648 students to try again.
Whether the levy passes or fails Tuesday, the school board has already opted for a four-day week next year to save around $100,000.
If the levy fails, the trustees will meet later Tuesday night to spell out the devastating cuts to balance the budget. Those cuts have been documented on these pages. They include the elimination of sports, student council, Naples Elementary, two principals, and three-quarters of the gifted and talented program. What hasn’t been documented is the ripple effect the loss will have on the surrounding community. A doctor has decided to move, due largely to the poorly funded schools. Some business owners blame the school situation for their inability to attract quality employees. Many fear idle students with three days off each week will get into trouble without sports and extracurricular activities after school.
On Tuesday, Boundary County will decide whether it wants to be known as the worst school district in Idaho.