North Idaho schools are most dependent on local dollars, least capable of passing levies

Of the 25 supplemental school levies on the ballot in November statewide, only three failed, all in North Idaho. 

Boundary County, West Bonner County, and Lakeland were the only school districts to see their levies fail. Boundary County’s levy would have had the lowest tax burden among the 25, at no added cost to taxpayers. West Bonner’s levy, at $23 per $100,000 of property, had the second-lowest burden. 

All three rank in the top 20 Idaho school districts most reliant on supplemental levies, based on the percentage of their general budget funded by levy dollars. In fact, 19 of the top 20 districts most in need of levies are in North Idaho. West Bonner County is fourth, Lakeland is 12th, and Boundary County is 19th. 

BCSD Superintendent Jan Bayer says for North Idaho schools, supplemental levies should be considered “fundamental” levies due to the region’s challenges with teacher retention, demographic changes, and high costs associated with rural areas. 

“We have to offer competitive wages with Sandpoint, and they’re competing with Newport,” she said. “Overall, North Idaho is competing with Washington for the job market.” 

Fifty-eight percent of Boundary County’s levy would have gone to salaries and benefits. 

In Couer d’Alene, 40 percent of levy dollars go to salaries and benefits. Couer d’Alene Public Schools Superintendent Shon Hocker said that teachers can earn $20,000 or more annually simply by crossing the state border to work in Washington. 

North Idaho’s rising cost of living, driven by tourism and an influx of out-of-state residents, adds to teachers’ financial strain. What’s more, newcomers are often the ones voting against the levies, Bayer said, adding that people moving to Boundary County tend to be older and without school-age children. 

“There’s an anti-tax movement that’s hurting us because so many people moving into Boundary, West Bonner and Lakeland are coming from states that taxed heavily for education — Oregon, Washington and California — places where they didn’t have a vote,” Bayer said. 

The remoteness that makes North Idaho an attractive destination for out-of-staters also makes its schools more expensive to operate. 

Bus drivers can travel as much as 700 miles a day in Boundary County, according to a report from Idaho Education News. For athletic and scholastic competitions, the closest school is about 30 miles away, and to the more urban areas in South Idaho, a drive could take ten hours. A new bus would have been purchased with Boundary County’s levy. 

Similarly, shipping costs for school cafeteria food add up over long distances. 

South Idaho schools also have greater access to professional psychologists and speech pathologists. In North Idaho, those types of services become more expensive and less effective because they are only offered online. 

Overall, maintenance and operations of North Idaho schools come with a hefty price tag. School districts in the region are far and away the most dependent on turning to local dollars for funds. Those funds are also the most likely to get rejected. 

“This is how Idaho funds public schools, whether people like it or not,” Bayer said. “The only way we can get more money is to go local.”