Voters will decide future of school funding Tuesday

RATHDRUM — Compound sentences may be tricky, but part of Shana Hostetler’s job is to help her fourth graders learn all about them.

That was the lesson Friday afternoon at Betty Kiefer Elementary School as she encouraged her students to read out loud and pinpoint where to place punctuation.

Hostetler has taught in the Lakeland Joint School District for 25 years.

“We are doing great things in our schools,” she said, stepping out of her classroom for a moment. “Our kids are learning. Our kids are excited to come to school. The lightbulbs are turning on every single day."

The Lakeland School District will ask constituents to go to the polls Tuesday to vote on a two-year, $9.5 million supplemental levy measure, which, if approved, would replace the current levy of the same amount that expires at the end of the school year. 

The levy provides the district with 25% of its $40 million general fund budget, the lion’s share of which pays the salaries and benefits of staff.

Lakeland Superintendent Lisa Arnold said when schools are strong, the community is also strong. She has been out in the community engaging in face-to-face conversations and sharing levy information on social media. 

Arnold said community members have asked for levy complexities to be simplified, a request she and her team have worked toward fulfilling.

“We recognize, in Idaho, parents have lots and lots of choices, and I’m 100% for parent choice. I just want Lakeland to be at the top of the list of choices,” she said.

Lakeland voters approved the current levy in May 2023, as well as a two-year, $1.146 million-per-year school plant facilities levy. These passed after both measures failed to reach the required voter threshold in the March 2023 election. The Coeur d’Alene School District suffered the same fate but also managed to secure enough voter approval the second time around. 

Naysaying has been relatively quiet leading up to this levy election, Arnold said. She said she has spoken with local political groups and leaders upon their invitation and asked for neutrality rather than support. 

To pass the levy, 50% of the vote plus one is needed.  

Arnold said Lakeland School Board trustees have not made any public statements regarding what will transpire in the event the levy fails.

“I would not be recommending to the board that we re-run this,” she said.

Lakeland runs small neighborhood schools that require more staffing than what is paid for by the state. Levy funds make that possible, Arnold said. 

“It really will be up to the board to make those decisions about how to make those cuts,” she said. 

The Lakeland School District has three administrators, down from five prior to Arnold’s tenure as superintendent. It has 700 permanent employees and about 70 guest teachers. People make up 87% of the budget, the other 13% is discretionary: water, electricity, utilities and so on.

Lakeland averages about 23 students per class. Staffing cuts would mean more kids and fewer teachers in each classroom. 

“That will absolutely happen,” Arnold said. 

Arnold said with so much of the budget being people and the levy comprising 25% of that budget, staffing reductions would be inevitable.

Athletics and extracurriculars, such as music and art, would also be negatively impacted if the levy does not pass. 

The one message Arnold wants to convey, especially to the many newcomers to Idaho and the Lakeland School District who may not be clear on how Idaho does not fully fund its public schools, is for people to reach out when they have questions.

“My goal for everybody in this district is to have enough accurate information to make an informed decision for their families," she said. "If at the end of the day they don’t feel they can say 'yes,' as long as they’re doing it from a place of understanding and facts, then I can live with that.”

Contact Arnold at 208-687-0431 ext. 1111 or visit sd272.org for details.

SIDEBAR

Voters who live in the Coeur d’Alene School District will also be asked to consider renewing the district's current two-year, $25 million-per-year levy that expires June 30, 2025. This community-supported levy covers 25% of the cost to maintain educational programs and services not funded by the state. Info: cdaschools.org

The Post Falls School District will not hold a levy election Tuesday. It is expected to run a levy election on the next available election date in May 2025.

    Arnold