We support the Cd'A school levy

On March 12, voters in Coeur d'Alene School District 271 will be asked to approve a Maintenance and Operations property tax levy to fund 20 percent of the school district budget. We firmly support passage of the levy and encourage community participation in voting YES. That said, the amount of the levy is still too low since it does not fully fund even the current needs of the District.

The levy will replace the current (expiring) levy of $12.86M for two years and add another $1.4M the first year to provide safety and security measures deemed necessary after the events at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. District Chief Operating Officer Wendell Wardell has emphasized repeatedly that the district will have a significant shortfall for 2013-14, even if the levy passes.

A series of articles in the Cd'A Press last month accurately identified the problem - the Idaho legislature does not provide adequate funding for school districts, and has not for many years. The state has placed the burden of funding our schools on local communities by effectively forcing them to appeal to voters every two years to maintain adequate funding through property tax levies.

We are fortunate to live in a community that values public education and has consistently supported these levies including a recent $32M construction bond to remodel numerous older school facilities. This is what our state legislators really meant by "local control," and we have to take that control to ensure that our kids get what they need in spite of Boise. This is our reality - we cannot fix the legislature, but we can decide to support our schools despite what the legislature does.

SD #271 has been managed in a fiscally conservative way throughout Ms. Bauman's tenure as Superintendent. The district has reduced its spending by almost $8M (12-plus percent) since the recession started in 2008. The Coeur d'Alene Education Association has been instrumental in discovering resources and proposing and negotiating cost savings ideas that have minimized the negative impact on students. Cuts have been made in programs, personnel, employee benefits, instructional materials, maintenance, and all of the other systems that support the second largest employer in the county. Despite these budget reductions, the district serves the same number of students as five years ago. Thus, these cuts have balanced the budget at the expense of students - through reductions in programs, materials, and support - and both certified and classified district employees, by increasing their workload and reducing their benefits and resources.

Teachers, administrators, and support personnel continue to do an exceptional job for students. Cd'A School District is consistently a top performer among large districts state-wide, in test scores, high school graduation rates and college placements. SD #271 can brag about being home to 7 of the last 15 Idaho Teachers of the Year, and our Transportation Department was recently recognized as the best in the state. This is truly an education system of which our community can be proud.

Opposing the levy would be catastrophic for our entire community, not just educationally, but economically as well. Cuts amounting to as much as $15M if the levy fails would be disastrous for our children and our local economy. We believe and expect that voters will show the Board and the Superintendent how much they value their children and their school system by turning out in large numbers to support the levy. Thank you for voting YES on the Maintenance and Operations Levy on March 12, 2013.

Coeur d'Alene Education Association Leadership

Kristi Milan, President, IEA Board

Derek Kohles, Co-VP

Tim Sandford, Co-VP

Kim Yearsley, Secretary

Jeanne Balek, Treasurer

Rick Jones IEA VP

Mary Ruch IEA Board