EDITORIAL: Levy's fate is far more than a game

People pay for passion.

That’s not a solicitation for the nearest house of ill repute. It’s a statement supported by $20,000 Super Bowl tickets, cars that cost as much as condos, old baseball cards and comic books that sell for many multiples of their face value.

So perhaps that’s why so many of the verbalized fears and worries about the possible failure of Coeur d’Alene School District’s May 16 levy request zero in on — you guessed it — sports.

Classroom sizes growing? Not so much.

Loss of nurses? Nope.

A bunch of teachers being laid off, or even a school or two being forced to close? More like blips than battleships on the public panic radar, according to school district insiders.

Now, we’re among the most ardent fans of local high school sports, and not just because Coeur d’Alene and Lake City high schools feature a host of outstanding teams that consistently provide high quality entertainment.

We also love school sports because of the many invaluable lessons they provide student athletes, lifetime lessons in teamwork, hard work and sacrifice.

But the fact that sports are walking the funding plank if the district’s $25 million per year levy fails next month is just one of the disasters in waiting, albeit a powerful force.

The employment reaper will indeed clear the deck of many important jobs. School resource officers — on-site cops — could be on the chopping block. Same with school nurses. It's also possible that dozens of teachers could be pink slipped.

These aren’t scare tactics. Levy failure would equate to roughly 25 cents of every school district operational dollar disappearing. If you suddenly lost a quarter of your household budget, do you really think a little belt tightening would make the emergency go away?

While greatly appreciated, the Legislature’s commitment of $100 million to boost school districts won’t put a dent in CDA Schools’ operational needs. The district’s share of that pie, maybe $3 million or so, will go to its existing bond. That's a good thing as it will provide some taxpayer relief, as intended, but it won’t pay for math teachers or new football helmets.

Here’s the point. Losing school sports would wipe out one of the most visible, visceral and traditional elements of public schools’ impact in the community, but the bloodletting wouldn’t end with extracurricular executions. We simply must pull together so nobody has to see how deep these cuts would actually go.

Please vote yes on the May 16 CDA Schools levy request, for whatever reasons you’re most passionate about.

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If you don’t want to wait until election day, request your absentee ballot today: voteidaho.gov