Schools get support at polls

School levies in North Idaho appeared to be faring well at the polls Tuesday, with levies in Post Falls, St. Maries and Kootenai districts passing and a levy in Coeur d’Alene getting well over the 50 percent approval rate with nearly half of polling places counted.

“At this point, we’re optimistic,” said Harry Amend, superintendent of the Coeur d’Alene School District.

Post Falls, St. Maries and Kootenai saw their levies pass with more than 65 percent approval. The $17.6 million Coeur d’Alene levy was split into two votes – one to replace the existing $14.6 million levy and another to add $3 million. With eight of 20 polling places counted, the $14.6 million amount was passing with 70 percent approval, and the additional $3 million had 67 percent approval.

The outlook wasn’t as rosy for the $23 million bond in the West Bonner School District. The measure that would have remodeled Priest River Junior High, built an elementary school in Blanchard and funded various additions to Priest River Elementary School and the high school failed, with just half of voters saying yes. It needed two-thirds approval to pass.

“It’s hard to do,” board clerk Donna Morrow said. She said voter turnout was 1,595 – a record for the district.

Turnout looked to be high in the Coeur d’Alene district compared to past years, but low in Post Falls. Around 7,700 people appeared to have cast ballots in Coeur d’Alene, Amend said. In Post Falls there were 1,159.

Coeur d’Alene scheduled kindergarten registration to coincide with the levy vote using a “two birds with one stone” mentality, Amend said.

The $2.9 million Post Falls levy saves the district from continuing to spend down its reserves and prevents cuts, said Barney Brewton, director of elementary education.

“It’s a great day here,” Brewton said.

While the levy increases the supplemental levy rate from 35 cents per $1,000 of property value to 56 cents, the Post Falls school board has pledged to keep the district’s overall tax rate at $2.23 per $1,000 of property value by opting for a smaller take of the fall emergency levy, if necessary.

The levy is an increase of $1.22 per $1,000 of property value over the expiring one, but the extra money doesn’t buy anything new. The biggest chunk of the money, $1.3 million, funds facility maintenance for the next two years. The rest of the money goes to textbooks and materials for all grade levels, technology maintenance and expansion and academic remediation programs.

In Coeur d’Alene, the levy funds dozens of programs like the advanced learning and remediation programs, school resource and nurse positions, electives and extra curricular activities. The additional $3 million will put more advanced learning teachers in the larger population schools, pay for more teachers to reduce class sizes in a to-be-determined grade level, fund more training opportunities for staff, pay for part-time vice principals at two high-enrollment elementary schools and fund technology upgrades.

The Kootenai School District in Harrison was saved from big cuts when a two-year supplemental levy worth $450,000 passed on the second try with 68 percent of voters saying yes. Voters rejected the first levy, which replaces an expiring one, in March. St. Maries School District’s two-year supplemental levy gives the district $1.5 million over two years. It passed with 77.1 percent approval.

“We are grateful for our community’s support for students,” Superintendent Dave Cox said in a press release. “Our efforts to earn that support will continue.”

Coeur d’Alene district voters have supported supplemental levies since 1986, usually with increases, but the defeat of last year’s school construction levy and the anti-property tax climate in the area had some worried the levy could face defeat.

Two voters at Borah Elementary School said they voted against the levy because the district seems dishonest, and money is wasted.

“I think there’s too much waste in the school as it is,” said Kim Lovlin. Her husband, Kurt, said he felt the district hasn’t been honest about things like the possible closure of Sorensen school and how much money it would save. Their four children attend the Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, which doesn’t levy taxes and is doing fine, they said.

Tom McCauley said he voted yes on both options because he supports children. Seven of his 17 grandchildren attend Coeur d’Alene schools, and he wants to do everything he can to help their education.

“My whole thing is everything we can do to help our education and our children we need to do, because this world is a pretty messed up place to grow up in.”

In Post Falls, Loren Peterson said he voted against the levy because his property taxes are too high. “They were supposed to go down,” he said.

He said he’s always voted for school levies until this one. Peterson’s wife, Joyce, canceled him out. She voted yes on the levy, “just because of the kids. They need it,” she said. The Petersons have grandchildren in Post Falls schools.