Lakeland to float school levies in March

RATHDRUM - Voters in the Lakeland School District will have two levies to consider on March 13.

The school board is expected to set the amounts and authorize the elections for a two-year supplemental levy and a 10-year plant facilities levy at Monday's meeting at 7 p.m. at the district office.

The supplemental levy, which would support maintenance and operations of the district, is expected to be about $5 million each year for two years, with the board having the final say on the proposed amount, said Tom Taggart, finance director.

"In this case, we're looking to make up for cuts by the state and keep doing what we're already doing," Taggart said. "It's not for funding new positions or pay raises. It's about how to keep moving ahead without stopping doing a good job."

Lakeland's existing supplemental levy of $3.25 million a year for two years is expiring this year.

"The increase sounds like a lot, but we're really trying to keep where we're at," said Taggart, adding that the cost of doing business has risen and the amount per student would be comparable to previous years.

A simple majority - 50 percent plus one vote - is needed for the proposal to pass.

Most school districts rely on supplemental levies for their budgets.

The plant facilities levy, which is used to fund building repairs, buildings, equipment, buses and classroom furniture, would likely be about $900,000 per year for 10 years.

The current levy is for $575,000 per year.

"A big part of the increase is that we have more buildings than we did 10 years ago and we need to keep up with technology," Taggart said.

A vote of at least 55 percent approval is needed for the measure to pass.

Taggart said he intends to determine what each levy would cost the average homeowner before Monday's meeting. That also depends on the amounts the board agrees on.

He said even if both levies pass, residents will pay less taxes for schools for the next fiscal year than the current year. That's because the district recently paid off some bonds and the levy for the Kootenai Technical Education Campus (KTEC), a technical-professional school being built in Rathdrum, expires after this year.

The district has had a levy committee meet to recommend the levy proposals.

The Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls districts ran supplemental levies last year, so they won't have votes this year.