Post Falls school levies won't raise taxes
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, staff, and most importantly the students of Post Falls School District, I would like to thank the patrons of Post Falls School District for their continuing support. The citizens of Post Falls have overwhelmingly supported both facility bond proposals and supplemental levy proposals to help provide high quality educational opportunities to our children. As a growing school district, it has been necessary to ask for more space for our student enrollment. We have also asked our community to supplement the state funding appropriation for operations in order to maintain quality academic programming for our students. This has been especially important during the last five years due to cuts in state funding during the economic downturn.
The district philosophy has been to stagger various facility and operational needs with the use of long range planning. Our plan provides a stable property tax structure that ultimately funds district and school needs without raising our patron's taxes. These proposals are no exception. The passage of the bond levy and supplemental levy on March 10 will not increase taxes due to the expiration of a previous bond levy and the refinancing of other district bonds. The only way this plan works is by taking a very fiscally conservative approach to running the district. Currently, we have the lowest supplemental levy rate per capita in North Idaho.
The district is asking for your support. The eastern part of our district has seen considerable enrollment growth. Prairie View Elementary School currently has 670 students enrolled in a school built for 550. There are six portable classrooms located on the east side of the school building that are temporarily housing students and teachers. This situation needs to be rectified. As a result, we are asking for voters to approve a bond for a new elementary school that will be located on 10 acres of land donated to the district in the Fieldstone Development. The construction of the new school would also allow the district to relieve enrollment pressure on Ponderosa Elementary School. The new school would be opened in the fall of 2016.
In 2004, the district received voter approval to construct River City Middle School. The school was built to house 525 students with the idea that it would need an addition in the future as middle school enrollment increased. The school was designed at that time with a second story classroom expansion in mind. It is time to add that addition. Currently, 585 students are enrolled in the school with a large fifth grade class scheduled to enroll next year. The addition can be constructed in time to open next fall.
Other facility needs in the bond levy include:
• Addition of a performing arts auditorium and auxiliary gymnasium to Post Falls High School
These two projects, if approved and built, will complete the Post Falls High School facility as originally intended. At one and a half percent student growth, it appears that the district will not need to consider constructing a second high school until at least 2022. These two projects are a high priority in order to provide our students with opportunities that a comprehensive, 1,500-student high school should have available.
• Two-classroom addition to West Ridge Elementary School
• Heating unit upgrades at Seltice Elementary, Frederick Post Kindergarten, and Mullan Trail Elementary
• Energy efficient remodels at Mullan Trail Elementary and Frederick Post Kindergarten
• School security upgrades throughout the district
It is also necessary to ask voters to approve a renewal of the district's supplemental levy. The renewal of the two-year levy includes a request to add $400,000 to the existing levy to assist the district in recovering from the economic downturn. Specifically, the additional money will go toward updating curricular materials/textbooks and to purchase school buses. The approval of the supplemental and the bond levy will not result in increased school taxes.
It is an optimal time to build and remodel schools because of the competitive construction climate and the historical low bond interest rates. The current interest rates of 2.79 percent will save huge amounts of money for our taxpayers over the life of the bonds. This contributes to the district's ability to complete the listed projects and not increase school taxes for our patrons. The district will be able to complete these projects at basically the same cost as in 2008. Most importantly, it is an ideal time to build and remodel our schools because it is what our students need and deserve.
I urge readers that have more questions to go to our website at www.PFSD.com to find more detailed information regarding both proposals. Either that or contact me directly at 773-1658 or at jkeane@sd273.com.
Jerry Keane is superintendent of the Post Falls School District.