Two of North Idaho’s largest school districts are making multimillion dollar asks of local taxpayers as they seek to continue existing levies. 

The Coeur d’Alene School District is seeking $50 million, while the Lakeland Joint School District is asking for $19 million. Both levies run two years. 

Both districts expect their property tax rate to go down due to a 2023 school facility funds law designed to provide property tax relief. 

Without the funds from their supplemental levies, which would primarily go toward staff salaries, leaders at both districts say they would have to drastically make over the budgets and cut services. Neither levy appears to have organized opposition in the community. 

To register to vote and for more information on the Nov. 4 election, including sample ballots, go here. Learn more about bonds and levies here. 

Coeur d’Alene trustee says levy dollars are ‘fundamental’

This district is asking voters to renew a two-year, $50 million supplemental levy that makes up about 25% of its annual budget. 

That money funds 200 positions — including teachers, paraprofessionals, and other support staff — and allows the district to provide competitive wages, Superintendent Shon Hocker said at a board of trustees meeting in August. 

All school funding for sports and extracurriculars comes from the levy, along with money for a portion of health services, mental health supports and security funds. It also funds the majority of Advanced Placement courses and career-technical education classes. 

Trustees have held a series of Fresh Air forums at local parks for voters to ask questions about the levy. At a recent forum most trustees mentioned the tough budget cuts they made in recent years, which resulted in closing Borah Elementary School to balance the budget after an enrollment drop.

“I don’t want to know what it’s going to look like to create a budget with $25 million absent,” trustee Jimmy McAndrew said. “We trimmed $6 million and that was painful enough.”

The levy dollars are “fundamental” to the district, Trustee Lesli Bjerke said. 

“These dollars are used to keep kids safe, keep them busy, keep them challenged,” McAndrew added. “In my mind, that’s what every parent sending their kids to school wants.” 

It’s not just high school level sports that would be impacted, Trustee Heather Tenbrink said. The levy funds elementary level art, physical education and music and most electives at the secondary level. 

A loss of levy funds would mean fewer teachers, she said. 

“Our class size would increase,” Trustee Allie Anderton added.

Just over $9.6 million of the levy funds teacher and support staff positions, while another $6 million funds additional student classes. Extracurriculars and athletics get just over $2 million, health services gets $1.4 million and school safety gets $1.8 million. The rest of the levy dollars fund technology, school and classroom resources and operating expenses.

Coeur d’Alene residents have seen school election measures on the ballot at least once a year since 2021:

• In March 2021, nearly 60% of voters passed a $40 million two-year supplemental levy.
• In 2022, an $8 million plant facilities levy failed. The levy would have gone toward updates and repairs to facilities to be paid for over the course of 10 years. The plant levy ask was the first of its kind in about two decades.
• In March 2023, trustees reduced the plant levy ask to $5 million over five years, while increasing the supplemental levy proposal to $25 million a year on an indefinite basis. Both levies failed. 
• Two months later, voters passed a two-year, $50 million supplemental levy by more than 63%. That levy funds fiscal years 2024 and 2025. 

Compared to other districts in the region, Coeur d’Alene is on the low end in total property tax rates, with Mullan on the high end at $458 per $100,000 of assessed value and Kootenai on the low end at $62 per $100,000.  Coeur d’Alene’s rate $95, per $100,000 of assessed value. The district has the largest tax base in the area making it possible to raise more funds at a lower tax rate.

Coeur d’Alene served about 9,500 students last year.

Lakeland trustee says the need for school levies is an unfortunate reality

Lakeland is hoping to renew its supplemental levy at $19 million over two years. Even if the measure passes, residents will likely see a drop in their tax rate after the school district paid off its bond in August. 

Without the property tax relief provided by the state, residents would pay an estimated $105 per $100,000 of assessed value. But the actual rate will likely be less.

District Chief Finance Officer Jessica Gantham said in a video on the levy that the district is expecting to levy only $7.14 million next year despite voters approving the $9.52 million figure, with property tax relief funds making up the difference. 

The vast majority of the levy funds, $6 million, go to pay employee salaries. Beyond that, $570,000 goes to safety and security needs, $1.45 million goes to extracurricular activities and athletics, $1 million goes to transportation and $500,000 goes to curriculum.

Michelle Thompson, chair of the district’s board of trustees, said the levy fills the gap left by a lack of state funding. Without levy funds, the district would have much larger class sizes and less support staff.

“Nobody wants a levy, I mean it’s taxes,” Thompson said. “We don’t want to overtax our constituents. The unfortunate thing is again, we don’t get 100% funding for education, we get 80%.”

Trustees were able to keep their levy ask flat, despite inflation, due to a few recent board changes, Thompson said. For instance, sports teams are allowed to hold fundraisers instead of solely relying on district funds. 

Lakeland trustees on June 12 unanimously approved adding the levy to the ballot — which was notable considering contention over levy asks in recent years.

Lakeland served just over 4,500 students last school year. The district includes Rathdrum, Spirit Lake, and Twin Lakes along with unincorporated portions of Kootenai and Bonner counties.

Click here to check out EdNews’ voter guide to the 2024 general election.