School district to rerun levy, battle state’s school choice initiative

Boundary County School District trustees approved rerunning the failed November levy again in the upcoming May election, along with over $2 million in budget cuts if it does not pass.

Teachers, parents, coaches and community members filed into the Boundary County Middle School library for the Jan. 13 school board meeting to listen and weigh in as board members workshopped $2.31 million in proposed cuts in a failed-levy scenario. 

“Our leadership team has worked really hard to see what’s best for us and what’s going to be the least impact,” said BCSD Superintendent Jan Bayer. “The reality is whatever we do is going to have a huge impact on the students.” 

Because Boundary County relies on the maintenance and operations levy for over 16 percent of its general fund, the district will have to revert to a simple core curriculum if the levy fails, with only a handful of electives, no extracurriculars, no sports, and no facilities operating after 4:30 p.m. The district will also lose out on new technology and a new bus, and nine faculty and staff members will have to be let go. 

“The community had input when they voted,” Bayer said. “On our ballot, these items were listed, and that’s what we’re proposing to cut first.” 

To reach the 53 percent of voters who opposed the previous levy, attendees suggested a more thorough ground campaign to educate community members about the high-stakes May election. Trustees said school staff can participate as long as they are off the clock and using personal emails. 

Trustees said that key to educating voters will be explaining that although the district is sitting on over $5 million from state House Bill 521, that money must be used for capital projects, such as the replacement of Valley View Elementary. Those funds cannot go toward maintenance and operations. 

Trustee Mary Fioravanti was the only nay vote in a 4-1 decision to run the same levy, saying that the board could sway anti-levy voters with a lower tax.  

Other trustees countered by saying the no voters are likely to vote no regardless of the amount, and the challenge to maintain the schools will only grow for the next election cycle when the levy cost must be raised again. For ten years, the levy has stayed at the same amount, despite inflation, which is a triumph in itself, they added. 

“If we reduce this levy, we’ll never get back what we gave up,” trustee Ron MacDonald said. 

Trustees “vehemently” oppose state’s private school funding plan 

BCSD officials will travel to Boise early next week to provide input to state legislators on Gov. Brad Little’s proposal to direct $50 million toward private school expenses. 

They plan to testify that the state should not give tax credits for private schools when many public schools in districts such as Boundary County are struggling to meet fundamental school requirements and aged facilities are on the brink of collapse. 

“They’re looking at going to vouchers, but they have not fulfilled their constitutional obligation in the first place,” Bayer said. “How can you expand when you haven’t even fulfilled your facilities requirements, you haven’t even fulfilled funding for public education?” 

BCSD board vice-chair Teresa Rae said the state funding should instead go toward cutting levies. The $50 million Little pledged for private schools at his State of the State address could half the $100 million in levy costs put on the ballot across Idaho last November. 

But Boundary County remains on the brink of an unprecedented lack of per-pupil funding. 

Despite ranking 23 in the nation on US News in K-12 education, Idaho spends just over $8,000 per pupil, making it one of the lowest-spending states in the nation on education, alongside Utah, according to the World Population Review. In contrast, Washington, D.C., and four other states spend more than $20,000 per pupil. 

If the maintenance and operations levy fails in May, local per pupil spending would drop to about $6,600. 

“What we’re asking legislators for is don’t make us like a third-world country,” Rae said. “Nobody in America is running a school district at $6,600 per student. They are purposely sabotaging public education.” 

Bayer said she does believe parents have the right to choose where their children go to school, but she also anticipates that school choice funding will not only undermine the public school system, but it also has the potential to increase taxes dramatically.