BCSD board discuss re-running bond in August election

BONNERS FERRY — The Boundary County School Board has voted to move forward with re-running a $16.4 million school bond levy in August. The vote follows a recommendation by the school district’s facility committee.

The discussion, and subsequent vote, was prompted by the failure of the proposal to get the two-thirds majority of votes needed to pass on March 8. A total of 1,158 people voted “yes,” or 53.79%; and 995, or 46.21%, voted “no.”

Superintendent Jan Bayer said it is the first time a Boundary County School District bond has gained 50% votes in favor in its first presentation to voters since 1946 when Valley View Elementary was first built.

Due to the bond’s failure, Bayer said the district will have to allocate some of its federal and forest funds in order to provide necessary maintenance on schools. Other projects will not get done, she added.

The proposed bond on the August election will not have the same interest rate as quoted on the March election due to interest rates rising.

The district has the option of running a plant facility levy, which does not require a supermajority to pass like a bond would, Bayer said. That would mean projects would be piecemeal, but no new school would be built, she said, adding that the interest rates would cost more annually than a bond.

Teresa Rae, board vice chair, said that by running a plant facility levy the taxpayers would pay three times more for smaller improvement projects. She added that the facility committee was adamant that the Valley View Elementary could be left to decay and the state could come in and condemn it. Valley View students could be moved to the Boundary County Middle School and double shifts could be returned to the high school as middle schoolers would be housed there.

“No one wants to go that route, it would be our last resort,” Bayer said.

Bayer reminded the board that repairs and Valley View have already been done in a piecemeal fashion, noting that parts of school came from Farragut State Park after World War II.

“We are talking about serious projects,” she said.

The district could run a one-year plant facility levy at $2.7 million they could get 55% voter approval rate, but would cost $2 for every $1,000 appraised value.

“You are almost doubling what you would pay for a bond,” Bayer said.

A majority of voters in the Valley View area voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bond and saw the need for a new school for their children, Bayer said.

Rae said that many members of the community told her they did not have enough information about the bond, nor did they know when the election was. She suggested that the district should have a mailing campaign to get bond information in the hands of voters.

BCSD also made a YouTube video on why the bond was needed, but it was not shared very much and so did not get the public’s attention, Bayer said.

BCSD will bring in a consultant service that will run a community survey on the past bond election. The consultant is familiar with BCSD and ran a similar survey when John Schwarts was the superintendent. The service will cost the district $2,500.