Voters Pass School District Levy

Voters passed a $1.7 million supplemental levy for the Lake Pend Oreille School District Tuesday night, with 58 percent of the vote.

The levy, which won 1,421 to 1,028, needed a simple majority to pass.

The levy had been promoted by the district as a replacement levy. Last year, voters approved a $1.2 million levy for teachers, instructional materials, training and extracurricular activities.

Part of the increase this year will go toward hiring a team of custodians and groundskeepers to turn the Sandpoint middle and high school campuses into a showcase for the district. The idea is to boost student and staff morale, and improve the learning environment, school officials said.

Most of the levy is destined to finance teacher positions and keep classroom sizes small. An increasing amount is going toward maintenance of the school district’s growing computer network.

Also, the district plans to purchase math textbooks for all grade school students, and continue development of the district’s language arts curriculum.