North Idaho schools put levies before voters today

Four North Idaho school districts are asking voters today for help paying for basic needs, from staff costs to curriculum materials, as well as facility improvements and some extracurricular activities.

Supplemental school levies totaling more than $22 million in property taxes are on the ballot in Kootenai, Shoshone and Bonner counties.

Idaho school districts rely heavily on supplemental levies to bridge the gap between what the state provides for education and actual costs.

The Legislature has slashed school funding in recent years, prompting communities to ask voters to make up the difference.

Polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Lakeland Joint School District in Rathdrum is seeking $4.8 million a year for two years. The request is 3 percent less than the levy that expires this year. Without the money, the district of just over 4,000 students would need to cut 20 percent from its general fund budget.

That, district officials say, would entail cutting staff and programs and would result in larger class sizes.

• West Bonner School District in Priest River is asking voters to approve a $3.5 million, one-year levy.

If approved, the money would help cover staff pay and benefits, buy curriculum materials, upgrade technology, make some facility improvements, and support the costs of sports and other extracurricular activities.

• Kellogg School District’s levy request is $2.78 million a year for two years.

That’s $280,000 more than the last levy approved but the same as the 2010 levy.

• Wallace School District is requesting a levy of $2 million a year for two years, up from $1.3 million a year since 2010.