Post Falls superintendent gives levy talk at American Legion

POST FALLS — The Post Falls School District runs an average daily attendance rate of 92.6%.

"Which means that each year, we lose 7.4% of our operational funding — funding that should be coming to us from the state of Idaho," Post Falls Superintendent Dena Naccarato said Monday evening.

“The only way for us to actualize 100% of our funding is for 100% of our students to be present 100% of the time," she said.

“On any given day, we lose $20,976 of operational funding because on the average in Post Falls, 456 students miss school every day," Naccarato said. "At a cost of $46 a student, that equates to $20,976 a day in operational funding. So, every two days, we buy a new truck.” 

The Post Falls School District is the 11th-largest district in the state, serving 5,800 students. Levy funds pay for extracurricular activities such as athletics and music programs; they support safety, security, counseling, nursing and health services; they fund staff salaries; and they allow Post Falls students to participate in Kootenai Technical Education programs.

Naccarato discussed the average daily attendance school funding formula, Idaho Code requirements and more during an informational presentation at the Post Falls American Legion Post 143, attended by at least 30 Legion members and officers.

The district will ask constituents to cast their votes May 20 during the replacement supplemental levy election. The district is asking for a renewal of the current two-year $5,958,551 per year levy.

According to current state statute, levies may not exceed two years. 

"What I hear oftentimes is, ‘You just asked for money, and we just gave it to you and now you’re here asking for it again,'" Naccarato said. "It’s because our levy expires every two years. We don’t have a choice in that. It’s in Idaho Code.”

She discussed ballot language and how school districts are required to disclose the maximum amount they could levy, even if they request less. The maximum levy amount in Post Falls is $61.35 per $100,000 of taxable assessed property value per year, but the district is requesting to levy $44.69 per $100,000.

"I’m not allowed to say that on the ballot language,” Naccarato said. "That’s also in Idaho Code as a result of House Bill 292, which provided tax relief to Idaho taxpayers several years ago. If you looked at your tax statement, there’s a little box that says your legislators saved you X amount of dollars. That's House Bill 292. But people that are new to our area that come and vote are going to see $61.35 and go, ‘Wait a minute, that superintendent is a liar.’ I’m here to tell you I’m not a liar. We are levying $44.69 per $100,000, not $61.35 per $100,000, which you will see on the ballot language."

“Our legislative body makes this as hard as possible for us to get the funding that we actually need to educate our children,” she said.  

Headlines from Boise also don't make things easier, she said.

“A few years ago, you heard that every single teacher was going to get $6,359 in a raise. Well, that’s not true because in Post Falls, we have to pay more than the state allocates," Naccarato said. "Every one of our teachers did not receive the $6,359 raise because we’re already paying more than the state allocates because of the cost of living in Kootenai County.”

Absentee ballots can now be requested. Early in-person voting begins May 5.

Info: pfsd.com or call 208-773-1658.