'Relieved and thankful'

POST FALLS - Post Falls voters - with 63.75 percent support - approved a supplemental school levy of $2.615 million per year for two years on Tuesday.

The number of "yes" votes was 1,632 and the number of "no" votes 928.

The funding, which will supplement the state's appropriation, will increase taxes by $12 per year for the owner of a $184,000 home.

A vote of at least 50 percent was needed for the proposal to pass.

"We're very relieved and thankful," Superintendent Jerry Keane said. "This is another example of the community saying, 'We support what the school district is doing for kids and, even in tough economic times, it's a priority.'

"We'll focus on making the highest quality of education for the kids with the dollars we've been given."

Keane said he was confident that the levy would pass, but it was by a wider margin than he anticipated.

"I'm surprised at the amount of support certainly in difficult economic times," he said. "It's a tribute to our community and very heartening."

The voter turnout was 16 percent as 2,560 of the 16,135 total registered voters went to the polls. Keane said it was the highest turnout for a Post Falls supplemental levy in recent memory.

"Generally we have 1,500 to 1,700 turn out," he said.

Voter Dave Peterson said he supported the proposal.

"We need to support the schools," he said. "I have grandchildren who attend so it's important for me to get funding for education. I think (the school district) has tried its best to tighten its belts, and this doesn't raise property taxes much."

But Bill Hummel said he believes there should be a more equitable way to raise funds than make those who don't have children or relatives in the district pay.

"Maybe it should be through the sales tax," he said. "I also think that (the school district) needs to go further to cut administrative costs.

"Taxpayers just can't keep paying more and more. There has to be some end. I respect the teachers and administrators, but there's got to be another solution."

The levy funding will be used for employee salaries that were paid for with federal stimulus dollars the past two years, technology and curriculum.

While the levy will help, the district is bracing for what it expects will be a $600,000 to $1 million cut from the state appropriation. He said job losses may result.

Gene Hyde said he supported the levy because he believes $12 a year is reasonable and not gouging taxpayers.

"Education is one of the most important things we have, and $12 a year is nothing," Hyde said. "I just paid $30 for an x-ray on a tooth. People will spend $4 or $5 at the coffee stand."

Still, Hyde scratches his head in some areas.

"I don't think schools need all these assistants (in sports and in the classroom)," he said. "We had Elmer Jordan in Coeur d'Alene and an assistant. But he coached baseball, basketball and track. You look at some of these football teams and it seems like they have 12 coaches. That's ridiculous."

Wayne Moeller said he voted "yes" because maintaining education programs is like everything else - it comes with a cost.

"If you're going to keep education up, you've got to pay for it," he said. "I think $12 a year is well worth it."

Moeller said he's not inside the schools to know the particulars of how money is spent, but he trusts those involved.

"You've got to count on the people who are running it or they shouldn't be there," he said.

Mary Crosby declined to say how she voted, but said she's pleased with how the district is run.

"I like the way they do things," she said. "I believe they spend their money more wisely than in other areas. But times are tough, so it's a difficult decision."

Post Falls, like most districts, has had to ask voters to supplement the state's appropriation with a levy for at least the past 25 years. However, this was the first time in more than a decade that the district proposed an amount that would raise taxes.

Post Falls' existing levy of $1.735 million per year for two years expires at the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

The district's budget has been cut by $3 million over the past two years - from $29.6 million in 2009 to $26.6 million this year. As a result, across-the-board cuts occurred.

The district will also see a reduction of $880,000 in federal funds going in to the next budget cycle. The money supported salaries for several certified and non-certified employees.

The district has not added positions or increased salaries during the recession.