Idaho school district will ask for sales tax money

LEWISTON (AP) - The Lewiston School District plans to move forward with an attempt to allow sales taxes to pay for school construction, despite a rejection by the Idaho State School Board Association.

The Lewiston Tribune reported a resolution calling for a change to Idaho Code that would allow a local option sales tax to pay for school construction bonds was defeated at the school board association convention in Boise on Friday.

Lewiston Superintendent Bob Donaldson said many voters who opposed the idea questioned why school districts should even have to pass such a measure, arguing the Legislature should pay instead.

"A compelling interest was just that the state needs to come up with something that could provide relief for districts statewide," he said. "My sense was more the state needs to step up, the Legislature needs to step up, and come up with an answer to the facilities needs that districts like Lewiston have."

School construction traditionally is paid for with property tax increases approved by local voters. Lewiston voters rejected such proposals for a new high school in 2004, 2010 and 2011.

A similar process was used to fund the Nez Perce County Jail. The Idaho Legislature approved that local option sales tax in 2003, and collection of the half-cent sales tax approved by Nez Perce County voters in 2004 ended last month.

"We'll still move forward for sponsorship of a bill," Donaldson said. "Or (be) looking for a senator who has a bill that would meet our needs."

One question was whether raising the sales tax within a district's borders would prove unpopular.

"If you're in an adjacent community and come into Lewiston and have to pay a sales tax, is that fair?" Donaldson said. "We're feeling even more empowered that we're going to make this work one way or the other.

"We're going to come up with a facilities solution."