Pend Oreille school vote Tuesday

Voters in the Lake Pend Oreille School District will decide Tuesday whether to give $8.9 million in property taxes to the district over the next two years, an increase of about $2.5 million over the levy set to expire in June.

The money would fund programs and staffing that are supported by the levy set to expire this year and would pay to provide an hour and a half longer instruction to kindergartners who need help with reading. It also would buy kitchen equipment and buses, fund technology maintenance and upgrades, and keep curriculum on track with the state’s replacement schedule. It would account for about 18 percent of the district’s budget.

“Mostly, this is a replacement levy,” said district Superintendent Dick Cvitanich.

The levy – which needs a simple majority to pass – replaces the $6.4 million levy approved in 2005. It would cost $45 per $100,000 of taxable property value per year, assuming the property qualifies for the state homeowners’ exemption. It’s an increase from the $34.20 per $100,000 of taxable value being paid this year. Without the homeowner’s exemption, the new cost is $90 per $100,000 of property value.

One thing school officials would like to point out is where the district’s levy rate lies in comparison to other districts. Under the current levy, the cost to the taxpayers is the ninth-lowest in the state and second only to the West Bonner district as the lowest out of nearby districts. Without the homeowner’ exemption, West Bonner’s levy costs just under $48 per $100, compared with $68.50 for the Pend Oreille district, $112 in Coeur d’Alene and $234 in Boundary County.

“We think our taxpayers are – relatively speaking – in pretty good shape,” Cvitanich said.

Like other districts dependent on supplemental levies for big chunks of their funding, Pend Oreille district officials say, it’s difficult to pinpoint what would be cut if the levy fails.

State and federal mandates make massive budget cuts a long and detailed process for school districts, because not every area can be cut and most can only be done in small portions.

“We wouldn’t be able to say exactly where those cuts might be,” said Vickie Pfeifer, chairwoman of the school board.

But, with 85 percent of the district’s budget tied to staffing, it’s safe to say teachers, custodians and all other school staff could face layoffs, which would mean cuts in academic programs and extracurricular activities.

“I’d say pretty much everything – everything – would be on the table,” Cvitanich said. “It would be significant.”

Added board member Mindy Cameron, “We’re presuming this will pass.”

The district has had two-year supplemental levies since it split from the West Bonner district in 1999.

District officials point to the current levy as proof that tax money is well-managed. The levy funded staffing, technology, curriculum upgrades, programs and basic building maintenance. The district was specific about where the money would go when the levy was pitched two years ago and careful to see that it went exactly where it was supposed to, Cvitanich said.

“We feel that we have a good school district, but we say good and getting better,” he said. “We want to get better, and this will help us get there.”

The extra money covers inflationary costs of current programs and buys equipment like ovens for Clark Fork and Sandpoint high schools and Northside and Southside elementary schools.

Other equipment like dishwashers, a refrigerator and a freezer will improve efficiency and lower operational costs in the long run. Money for two new buses also is earmarked.

But the equipment money – representing less than 4 percent of the $8.9 million levy – is hardly the lion’s share of the proposal.

The majority – approximately $4 million – goes to staffing. Student activities get $1.34 million, facilities maintenance gets $1.12 million, technology gets $1.39 million and curriculum replacement gets $588,331. A remediation program for kindergartners gets $295,000, which will pay for the necessary staffing.

Kootenai and Farmin-Stidwell elementary schools are already offering the remediation program this year. The principals of the schools pitched a district-wide program to the administration and school board, citing its success.

“I can’t say enough good things about the benefits of extra time,” said Betsy Walker, principal of Kootenai Elementary. “This extra time is absolutely a gem for them – it’s been amazing.”

A similar program is in place in the Coeur d’Alene School District, also funded through a supplemental levy.

The election is Tuesday. The Lake Pend Oreille district includes Sagle, Cocolalla, Clark Fork, Hope, Ponderay, Kootenai and Sandpoint.