Following years of strife on the board and a failed levy, the West Bonner School District is attempting to rebuild with a one-year levy on the November ballot and a newly appointed trustee. 

The $1.13 million supplemental levy would bring back school-funded sports and extracurricular activities, pay for a school resource officer and buy two new school buses. It would also help fund school lunch programs, curriculum purchases and snow removal. 

The ask comes after trustees unanimously decided to close Priest River Junior High in June and hire Kim Spacek as the new superintendent. The district ran a $4.6 million one-year levy in May that was rejected by 54% of voters. 

School leaders have supported fundraising efforts to fill the gap left by the levy, declining enrollment, expiring pandemic dollars and maintenance needs.

Levy focuses on “most critical” needs

After the levy failure earlier this year, the board of trustees chose to run a smaller one-year levy that would focus on the highest-priority needs. 

“The board’s idea is let’s bring back the programs that everybody would like that are most critical,” Spacek said. 

Three trustees voted to add the levy to the ballot at their Aug. 21 meeting: Chair Margaret Hall along with Trustees Paul Turco and Ann Yount. Trustee Kathy Nash voted against the levy. Reinbold had already resigned at the time of the vote.

New school buses will take up $360,900 of the levy dollars right behind sports at $395,300. 

“The whole idea is to have current buses that are safe on the road for kids,” Spacek said. 

The district has lost numerous staff members over the last two years with resignations continuing. The board reviewed 15 resignations or terminations at its July meeting. Its teacher retention rate this year was 76%. 

That makes efficiency key for the staff who are left, Spacek said.

The levy will fund software and technology updates to make that happen, including adding the business services to the system that manages student records, he said. 

With the levy covering only the bare minimum for one year, Spacek said the board of trustees will likely look at running another levy in May. 

 “Ongoing costs means ongoing levy,” he said. “We take care of it for one year and then we go back and ask for more.” 

The November levy will buy the board another six months to listen to the community and come up with a plan for future levy dollars that fits the community’s wants and needs, he said. 

West Bonner does not currently have a bond or other levies meaning the state’s property tax relief funds will likely reduce the amount locals pay toward the levy. 

Currently, the cuts to the district, like moving seventh and eighth graders into the high school, aren’t having a negative impact on students, Spacek said. 

The high school can house up to 600 students with current enrollment for grades 7-12 totaling about 480, he said. 

“The high school kids are helping the junior high kids maneuver the hallways,” Spacek said. 

With a new plan in place, Spacek is hopeful but also realistic. 

“If the district cannot be funded, then there will be more cuts,” he said. 

New board member is life-long Priest River resident

Delbert Pound, 44, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board of trustees last month. He replaced Troy Reinbold, who supported controversial former superintendent Branden Durst. 

As district 3 representative, Reinbold was known for frequently missing board meetings or calling in over the phone, The Spokesman-Review reported. 

He missed several meetings in a row last year following the recall of former trustees Keith Rutledge and Susan Brown, which prevented the then-three member board from reaching a quorum to appoint new trustees. 

Pound was the only applicant for the vacancy. He and his children attended Priest River schools. 

HIs oldest daughter just graduated from the University of Idaho he said proudly during an interview Friday. His youngest just went off to college. 

Pound is a proponent of public schools, he said. 

“I think education is pretty important and more so the social aspect of public schools,” he said, adding it’s important to learn how to work with other people. 

Pound owns a construction business, he spoke with EdNews while running his gravel loader. 

He also manages a 500-acre ranch in the area. 

As a longtime resident of district 3, Pound said he knows most people who have lived in the area for a while. 

“I think I can communicate with a lot of different types of people,” he said. “I have a pretty thick skin.” 

Pound considered running for a trustee position last election but he and his wife decided he was too busy. Pound said he was frustrated with the level of misinformation flying about the school district. 

Pound wishes the state would give more money to schools, noting it’s wearing out local districts, trustees and communities having to supplement state funds with local levies. 

Unlike his predecessor, Pound said he will attend every school board meeting he can along with other events that will help him learn about his new role. He plans to attend the Idaho School Boards Association meeting next month in Boise. 

“If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it all the way,” Pound said. 

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