Tribe Helps Lakeside Stay Open Coeur D’Alene Tribal Gaming Profits Save Day, Keep Plummer-Worley Middle School Going
Plummer-Worley School District officials said this week they will keep Lakeside Middle School open for seventh- and eighth-grade classes next fall.
Leaving the school open would not likely be possible without big contributions from Coeur d’Alene tribal gaming profits.
The district’s latest plan still terminates 15 school employees but would move the sixth grade to the Worley Elementary School and leave four classes operating in the middle school.
Janitorial services, a receptionist and utility costs needed to operate the school add up to about $30,000, district officials said Thursday.
“We are going to leave the seventh- and eighth-graders here and cover it year by year with soft money if we have to,” said Lakeside Middle School Principal Bruce Lust.
Plummer and Worley agreed to consolidate in 1990 and have been getting about $350,000 annually as part of a seven-year consolidation incentive program. The end of that program, combined with dipping attendance and federal grant cutbacks left the district with a $475,000 budget deficit.
The most significant savings will result from the board’s decision to fire nine teachers, five classified staff and a principal. The amount saved in salaries and benefits will be between $375,000 and $425,000. The $30,000 needed to operate the middle school will have to come from other sources - like the Coeur d’Alene tribe’s gaming profit money given to the district annually.
“The board will have to choose whether they are going to cut in other areas, use gaming money or go into their reserve,” Plummer-Worley School Superintendent Bob Singleton said.
The district still has $180,000 of the $202,000 it received this year from the tribe. If bingo profit trends continue, they can bank on more. Since reservation gaming began, the amount of profit money given to the district has more than doubled each year. In 1993, the school received $3,000, and in 1994, $25,000. In 1995, the tribe gave $75,000 and this year $202,000.
Keeping the middle school open was an important issue for local residents, but the tribe didn’t attempt to sway how the district uses the money, said Tribal Chairman Ernie Stensgar.
“The superintendent and school board makes those decisions. We don’t try to influence them in any way,” he said. “But I’m pleased as pie that because of the tribe they may be able to keep the school open.”
Public schools aren’t the only ones benefiting from the tribe’s success. Money’s also going into the new Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded Coeur d’Alene Tribal School that opened last week in Desmet.
The agreement between the tribe and the state calls for 5 percent of tribal profits to go to Idaho schools. The Coeur d’Alenes pledge 2.5 percent toward public schools, specifically. But district officials caution against considering it secure funding.
“They’ve elected to share with the public schools but there’s no legal requirement for them to do that,” Singleton said. “and they always have to worry about what Gov. Batt’s going to do so there’s no guarantee.”
Schools won’t be the only beneficiaries of future gaming profits, Stensgar said. The tribe hopes to address other infrastructure needs soon.
“We’ve been approached by fire districts and EMT programs too. We’ve never been a position to contribute before, but we are now, and that’s next on our agenda.”
The board has three more meetings before it must submit a finalized budget plan. Singleton said community members seem pleased with this latest proposal.
“I think for the most part people left our last meeting feeling the compromise the board offered was very satisfactory,” Singleton said.
, DataTimes