Trustees Wary Of Asking Too Much

Skyway Elementary fifth-grader Danielle Sablan, left, and Makenzy Mossman work on a project together at the school in Coeur d’Alene on Thursday. Class overcrowding is an issue that will be addressed as the Coeur d’Alene School District plans its next levy request. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)

Coeur d’Alene schools have had a good run of public support for a local tax levy that increasingly funds essential needs as well as extras like sports and music. School board members find it tempting now to bump up the two-year levy request this year to fund pieces of a long wish list of items: updated instructional materials, more school nurses, better pay for substitute teachers, and additional teachers to ease classroom crowding, to name a few. The Coeur d’Alene School District has identified $5.8 million in additional needs it would like to fund next school year, on top of the $12.87 million a year it takes in through the maintenance and operations property tax levy, which expires June 30. But as generous as voters have been – four years ago they overwhelmingly supported a $5 million annual increase in the levy – school officials are wary of pushing their luck/ Scott Maben , SR. More here .

Question: Do you routinely vote for school supplemental levies?