Weigh in on Cd'A school levy options

COEUR d’ALENE — Coeur d’Alene Public Schools is asking residents of District 271 to weigh in on options for the supplemental funding levy that will be on the ballot in March.

The Board of Trustees is preparing to set a levy amount to refer to voters in the school district. The current two-year levy, set to expire next June, collects $16 million a year in local property taxes.

To help inform Trustees of the public’s views, the District is asking residents to take an online survey about the levy, including questions on potential increases in the levy amount and an option to establish the levy in perpetuity. The survey includes three short informational videos featuring Superintendent Steven Cook discussing the District’s funding, what the levy pays for and his recommendation to the School Board.

The survey is available at www.cdaschools.org/levysurvey

The survey will be available for two weeks, closing at the end of the day on Thursday, Nov. 29. Results will be provided to Trustees for their Dec. 3 regular board meeting.

The current levy passed in March 2017 with 79 percent of the vote.

Known as the Maintenance and Operations levy, the funding currently covers about 24 percent of the district’s operating budget, paying for many priorities not fully funded by state support for education. These include textbooks and online classroom resources; technology; security measures; school building maintenance and utility costs; school supplies; school bus replacement; technical education support; and more.

Cook is recommending that Trustees consider raising the levy by $4 million a year to be spent on mental health programs and support in schools; security enhancements; teacher and staff training; and improving pay for teachers and other staff in the district.