Three North Idaho school districts approve tax levies

Voters in North Idaho approved three school-funding tax levies in Tuesday’s election.

Levies passed in the Lakeland School District, which covers the Rathdrum, Athol and Spirit Lake area, and in the Kellogg and Wallace school districts in Shoshone County.

The Lakeland district’s one-year, $5.3 million levy passed with 53 percent of the vote. It’s an increase of $300,000, which would be spent on enhancing school security, and it funds 20 percent of the district’s operating budget.

In Kellogg, a two-year levy of $2.7 million per year was approved with 57 percent of the vote. It’s a decrease of $100,000 a year from the expiring levy, and it funds one-third of the operating budget.

Wallace district voters barely approved a two-year levy – by just eight votes, or 50.4 percent. It will raise $1.85 million per year and is a decrease of $150,000 a year from the expiring levy. The funds represent 40 percent of the operating budget.