Voters will decide the future of school funding Tuesday

RATHDRUM — Compound sentences can be difficult, but part of Shana Hostetler’s job is to help fourth graders learn all about them.

That was the lesson Friday afternoon at Betty Kiefer Elementary School, where she encouraged her students to read aloud and determine where to place punctuation marks.

Hostetler has been teaching in the Lakeland Joint School District for 25 years.

“We’re doing great things in our schools,” he said, stepping out of his classroom for a moment. “Our children are learning. Our children are excited about coming to school. The light bulbs turn on every day.”

Lakeland School District will ask voters to go to the polls Tuesday on a two-year, $9.5 million surtax measure; If approved, this legislation would replace the current tax of the same amount, which expires at the end of the school year. .

The tax provides the district with 25% of its $40 million general fund budget, with the lion’s share paying for staff salaries and benefits.

Lakeland Superintendent Lisa Arnold said when schools are strong, the community is strong. He attends face-to-face meetings in public and shares tax information on social media.

Arnold said community members want tax complexities to be simplified, and he and his team are trying to accommodate that request.

“We recognize that parents in Idaho have many options, and I am 100% for parental choice. “I just want Lakeland to be at the top of the list of options,” he said.

Lakeland voters approved a two-year, $1.146 million annual school facility facilities tax on top of the existing tax in May 2023. These were passed after both measures failed to reach the required voter threshold in the March 2023 elections. The Coeur d’Alene School District suffered the same fate, but also managed to win enough voter approval the second time around.

Opposition has been relatively quiet ahead of this tax election, Arnold said. He said he met with local political groups and leaders upon their invitation and asked for neutrality rather than support.

The tax requires more than 50 percent of the votes to pass.

Lakeland School Board trustees have not made any public statement about what would happen if the levy fails, Arnold said.

“I would not recommend to the administration that we run this again,” he said.

Lakeland operates small neighborhood schools that require more staff than the state pays. Tax funds made this possible, Arnold said.

“It’s really going to be the board’s responsibility to make decisions about how to make these cuts,” he said.

The Lakeland School District has three superintendents, down from five before Arnold’s tenure as superintendent. It has 700 permanent employees and approximately 70 guest teachers. People make up 87% of the budget, the other 13% is discretionary: water, electricity, utilities, etc.

Lakeland has an average of 23 students per classroom. Staff cuts will mean more children and fewer teachers in every classroom.

“That’s definitely going to happen,” Arnold said.

Arnold said staff reductions would be inevitable, given that a large portion of the budget is made up of people and taxes make up 25% of that budget.

If the tax does not pass, athletics and extracurricular activities such as music and arts will also be negatively affected.

The message Arnold wants to convey, especially to many people new to Idaho and the Lakeland School District who are unclear about how Idaho does not fully fund its public schools, is for people to reach out when they have questions.

“My goal for everyone in this district is to have enough accurate information to enable them to make an informed decision for their family,” he said. “If at the end of the day they don’t feel like they can say ‘yes’ they do it with understanding and facts, then I can live with that.”

Reach Arnold at 208-687-0431 ext. 1111 or visit sd272.org for details.

SIDE BAR

Voters living in the Coeur d’Alene School District will also be asked to consider renewing the district’s two-year, $25 million annual levy, which expires June 30, 2025. This community-supported tax covers 25% of the cost. Maintaining educational programs and services that are not publicly funded. Information: cdaschools.org

The Post Falls School District will not hold a tax election on Tuesday. A taxed election is expected to be held at the next election date in May 2025.

Arnold