Schools will ask voters for funding Post Falls: New school on wish list
POST FALLS — The Post Falls School District plans to float two funding proposals to voters on March 12, 2019.
Administrators are recommending that the school board on Jan. 14 forward to voters both a $19 million bond levy request to fund a new elementary school and upgrade five existing schools. Also, a two-year supplemental levy of nearly $10 million ($4.955 million per year) is being sought for maintenance and operations.
"While it is a little unusual to run the two proposals concurrently, the district's facility needs are time-sensitive and cannot be delayed," Superintendent Jerry Keane said.
Even if both requests are approved — the supplemental requires a vote of 50 percent plus one and the bond a two-thirds majority — district patrons will not see an increase from their existing school district taxes, Keane said.
"This is possible because the district is paying off the bond levy that paid for construction of Post Falls High School and more taxpayers are paying for the cost of the construction of school facilities," he explained.
The district estimates that if the bond fails, school property taxes for the owner of a $250,000 home would decrease about $34.50 per year.
If the supplemental fails, the district estimates the tax drop would be about $195 per year.
The bond proposal is the result of recommendations a 28-member committee developed last winter when it met to revise the district's Long-Range Facility Plan.
The $19 million bond proposal includes $12.5 million for a new elementary on district-owned land in the Foxtail subdivision east of Highway 41. The request also includes $6.5 million to upgrade Seltice, Mullan Trail, Ponderosa, Frederick Post and Post Falls Middle School and buy land for a future school.
The new elementary would be similar to the district's two newest elementary schools — Greensferry and West Ridge — at 50,000 square feet for 500 students.
The committee determined the new school is an "immediate" priority due to steep population growth and projections for that trend to continue.
A new elementary will allow for kindergarten students to attend the school in their neighborhood rather than at the current crowded and centralized Frederick Post building, Keane said. That move, in turn, will free up space for New Vision Alternative High School that currently shares a building with kindergartners.
The upgrades and remodels of the district's five older schools would include safety entrance projects; alarms; roof, electrical, plumbing and asphalt work; modernizing exteriors; and air conditioning.
Keane said the district has tried to layer facility debt over time to stabilize and minimize property taxes. He believes that has resonated with patrons who have traditionally supported construction levies.
"We believe the predictability and consistency of this plan serves our taxpayers better than a roller coaster approach to taxes," he said.
Voters approved the district's last bond — a $19.5 million measure in 2015 — with 79 percent approval. That paid for Greensferry Elementary, an auxiliary gym and auditorium at Post Falls High and an addition at River City Middle School.
The supplemental levy proposal would replace the existing two-year levy of the same amount that expires at the end of this fiscal year. Patrons have approved the past 13 supplemental proposals dating back to 1993, including the last one that was floated with the bond in 2015.
School districts have the ability to supplement the state funds they receive by asking patrons to approve local property tax revenues to assist with maintenance and operations.
Funds are used to pay for bus fleet updates, employee benefits, classroom materials and other expenses.
Keane said most of the education funding discussions at the state level have centered on teacher compensation rather than operational funds to districts.