School levy goes to Coeur d’Alene voters

Coeur d’Alene-area voters will decide today whether to pay for building a school and renovating three existing ones.

The school district is asking property owners to foot the bill for $40 million in school improvement projects. District officials say the schools have antiquated heating and cooling systems, accessibility problems for people with disabilities, and undersized classrooms. The levy also includes money to update technology at all district schools.

Here’s how the money would be spent if voters approve the levy request:

•Rebuild Lakes Middle School, $17.75 million.

•Build an elementary school, $7.72 million.

•Rebuild Winton Elementary School, $5.25 million.

•Remodel Borah Elementary School, $5.21 million.

•Technology upgrades, $3.2 million.

On Monday, Superintendent Harry Amend responded to a letter that a property owner mailed to more than 23,000 district residents. The letter opposing the levy was written by Athol resident Larry Spencer, who owns property in Hayden.

Amend disputes Spencer’s statement that the levy creates a “slush fund,” which the district can use for any project. The money raised by the levy will be used for the projects outlined on the ballot, Amend said.

He also disagreed with Spencer’s characterization of the levy project list as consisting of “wants” instead of “needs,” saying an increase of 3,000 students over 16 years is significant by any standard.

“School districts that are growing are, on an ongoing basis, dealing with the challenges of that growth,” which include updating and building facilities, Amend said. He pointed to other burgeoning districts – Central Valley, Boise, Twin Falls – that have similar growth needs and election price tags.

Spencer wrote that the district does not suffer from overcrowding, while Amend responded that 360 elementary students across the district are housed in portable classrooms. “The district needs every school it builds or improves,” he said.

Spencer also wrote that the district has a “spare” school, the former Hayden Lake Elementary School, which was replaced by Atlas Elementary School last fall. Amend said the building is being used for office space. It is too worn out to be used as a school, he added, and a larger school was needed to accommodate the growth in that area – hence the building of Atlas.

Amend said fewer than five patrons have called the district for clarification since the letters were mailed.

The proposed levy, if it receives at least 55 percent approval, would replace a levy that passed in 2002 and will expire this year.

The owner of an average-priced home in Coeur d’Alene would pay $344 a year to support the proposed levy. The expiring levy costs about $272 a year for an average-priced home, so the difference is an increase of $72 a year. Those numbers are based on the average home sale price of $210,913 in 2005.

The district leadership and planning committee have tried to balance school needs with the current property tax climate, Amend added.

“Though voters often disagree on levies for different types of programs, such as remediation and advanced learning, most voters understand the district’s needs when it comes to bricks and mortar,” he said.

The Coeur d’Alene levy kicks off the spring school election season in North Idaho. On May 16, three other districts will hold elections: Post Falls will ask voters to build an elementary school and expand the high school; Plummer-Worley will ask to build a high school and remodel the existing high school and middle school; and West Bonner will ask for maintenance and operation funds.