District Approves Levy Plan
The Bonner County School District will ask voters for $3 million this spring to repair buildings and build a 10th elementary school.
“We spent the money from last year’s levy where we said we would spend it. Now, we are asking voters to give us a little bit more to keep the district moving forward,” said business manager Steve Battenschlag.
The school board approved the levy proposal Tuesday. The package could go to voters as soon as May 16, the day voters will elect two board members.
“I know that sounds a bit soon, but I would like to get the new school going as soon as possible if the levy passes,” Battenschlag said.
The district is trying a new twist on presenting the levy package to voters. Instead of one lump sum, the proposal is divided into two separate supplemental levies.
The levies need a simple majority to pass. The total package would cost a resident about $77 for a home with a taxable value of $50,000.
The first $1.5 million levy is earmarked to build Kootenai Elementary School. The other $1.5 million would buy seven buses, pay for textbooks and instructional materials and repairs to schools. “Both levies are essential, and we could easily use a million more dollars to meet the needs,” said Superintendent Leonard Parenteau. “But this way the community can determine the spending priorities.”
“Some of these needs are critical and as far as Kootenai School goes, I can’t even debate the need for that,” added Battenschlag.
In 1987 voters approved a massive building levy that included a new Kootenai School. The project was supposed to be completed last year for $1.5 million. Because of inflated building costs, the district discovered the levy funds would only pay for four classrooms instead of eight.
Such a small school was not acceptable, Parenteau said. With another $1.5 million levy, the district can make Kootenai Elementary a 13-room school.
“It would be a much bigger building and be done the right way,” Battenschlag said. “It will not just meet our enrollment needs today but those for a few years down the road.”
The new school would accommodate about 325 students and ease crowding at about four other elementary schools.
The second levy would not only buy buses, books and repair school roofs, it would fix safety problems in many of the schools.
The state fire marshal inspected the schools months ago and found the district lacked fire doors, smoke detectors and fire-proof curtains, among other things.
“There were a whole bunch of fire safety violations that should have been taken care of a long time ago,” Battenschlag said.
xxxx School names finalists for superintendent
SANDPOINT The Bonner County School Board has named five finalists for its $70,000-a-year superintendent post. The trustees kept four finalists chosen by a committee of parents, teachers and administrators. The board also exercised its option to choose a finalist from among the 25 applicants not recommended by the search committee. It added Roy Rummler, principal at Priest River Lamanna High School, to the list. He is the only finalist from within the district. The other finalists are: Max Harrell, superintendent of the Dos Palos-Oro Loma Unified district in Dos Palos, Calif. Tom Crowley, superintendent of the Reardan-Edwall district in Reardan, Wash. Gordon Wallace, superintendent of the Concrete Washington district in Concrete, Wash. Kenneth Olson, assistant superintendent of the Twin Falls district in Twin Falls, Idaho. Applicants will be interviewed by the trustees Saturday. The public is invited to meet the candidates Saturday from 5:30 p.m. at the Lake Pend Oreille Alternative High School. Board members hope to make their final selection before May 16. Kevin Keating