MY TURN: Cd'A School District $80M levy

Let me say first that I am all for our children's safety in school. Secondly, I, along with many others in this community am a senior citizen with very limited income. Last year I paid $478.19 to District 271. I have never had nor will have any children in these schools. Now they want a fourth line item on my tax bill for 10 years, when is too much too much?

Have you actually looked at the repairs and upgrades they “want” to make to the schools? It is mind boggling. Some schools, built 23 years ago, have original heating and cooling systems. And of course now it is critical that they be replaced. Really? Over the life of that school, they could not have the money to replace that heating system? They are running so close to the line that a hiccup upsets their apple cart? In talking to some school district folks, that is the distinct impression I was left with.

Look at the list, they want to replace every door with a metal windowed door. OK, I understand that in light of recent happenings. So I asked the school district employee if anyone had considered asking local businesses for donations of doors or paint or whatever. “Well no. There would probably be state restrictions against that.” Really? That option has never been discussed to take the burden off our pockets? Nope. So I called Boise-Department of Education, Rules of Idaho, Chief Planning and Policy Officer-Tracie. I spoke with her assistant, Morgan, who got my answer from Tracie. “Can schools ask businesses to donate items of need to schools, IE. doors, paint, electrical, kitchen needs? Yes, they can accept donations, someone just has to ask! Interesting, the board would rather take the easy route and take from the taxpayer than ask businesses to help who could take it as a write-off. Easy come-easy go!

There are things on that list that, in my mind, do not need replacement. We built our home 23 years ago, it has a metal roof. Our roof today is just as good as it was 23 years ago, maybe a little faded but it is still in perfect working order yet the district wants to replace metal roofs. Kitchen equipment that seems to be doing the job perfectly well — ”We'll replace it because its life expectancy is' just about over.'” Easy come-easy go out of the taxpayers’ pockets.

I talked with the spokesman for the district who really opened my eyes. I complained about the levy; yes I did. He told me that Washington probably has fewer and smaller levies than Idaho. So I looked it up. Washington has 7.8 million people with an average income of $77,000. Washington pays 36.4% of its budget to schools. Idaho has 1.7 million people with an average income of $48,383. Idaho gives 50-55% of its entire budget to schools. What more should Idaho do? A lion's share of what is left goes to the prisons in Idaho, so to compare Idaho to Washington is like comparing apples to oranges.

I have done my research on what states do to help seniors and school taxes. I have personally called all the states minus a few that I could not reach. There are only about 10 states that do nothing to help their seniors with school taxes — Idaho being one of those. In many states seniors are taken off the school tax rolls when they reach 65 (their burden does not result in a loss of revenue for anyone, rather it is put on the shoulders of the users), some have graduated school taxes per income. In one state, seniors can volunteer in the schools to help children read and do simple math or whatever teaching aids are being paid to do. They get credit by the hour volunteered toward reducing their school taxes. What novel ideas! I have tried to work with our representatives on this to no avail.

These levies, District 271 has the highest levy amount in the state by the way, have to stop. It looks like a lot of mismanagement of funds to me. You don't plan and build more schools when you cannot maintain what you have. And senior citizens have had enough but we are always outvoted.

I implore all of you, seniors, parents, taxpayers, look at the list, it will make you mad. Please consider that a “company” so big runs so close to the red line that it cannot do simple repairs or even big repairs without asking for help. How long would that company last? That is our school district. Please rethink your idea on this levy.

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Dianne Christensen is a resident of Hayden Lake.