MY TURN: Support our public schools
The Legislative District 4 Republican Central Committee, your local Republican group of elected Precinct Committeemen and women, recommends that you support our public schools. LD4 encompasses the majority of Coeur d’Alene, and by extension those served by our public schools. At a special meeting held Wednesday, June 30, the LD4 committee members discussed the levy at length with school board trustees, and are confident that supporting this levy is in the best interests of our community.
The levy helps bridge the gap between the state funding our district receives and the increased costs our district has been dealing with, particularly with insurance, utilities, fuel, and supplies — all line-items that have seen larger than expected cost growth in recent years. While the state funding stays relatively static, we, the taxpayers, are tasked with making up the difference. This levy that we will vote on has an increase of $5.25 million per year over the previous levy it will replace — which will cover the above costs, with very little added items to the budget.
Local Republicans want our taxes prudently spent to invest in the future of our children and community, not wasted or spent frivolously, and we have elected a fiscally conservative board of trustees who oversee School District 271. Coeur d’Alene School District has consistently performed among Idaho’s stronger school districts — our kids rank highly with regard to kids from other states on standardized tests — yet the cost-per-student is much lower than the national average. Our fiscally conservative trustees deserve the credit for wisely spending your money, maximizing its value.
When your trustees ask you to replace the supplemental levy, they are not “asking for another levy” — they are asking you to continue to authorize a levy to supplement the school district’s budget, and replace the levy that expires every two years. Voting yes on the November ballot will replace the district’s current levy when it expires next June 30, and be in place through June 30, 2029.
In addition to covering the critical budget items mentioned previously, it also helps fund career and technical education at KTEC that prepares young people for jobs in construction, welding, automotive technology, health care and other skilled trades — providing an on ramp to solid jobs for our kids, and supplying our area with the blue-collar workers that are the lifeblood of every strong community. The levy supports teachers and classroom staff, the people the our kids spend a large portion of their day with — and who deserve our assistance. School resource officers, who provide critical early intervention — detecting juvenile crimes and substance abuse early, and who are a shield against bad actors who would harm our children, receive funding from this levy. Nurses, transportation and maintenance, technology, athletics, music, and other student programs all need this this levy to function at current levels.
It is critical that we approve this funding. Our schools serve more than our students —these investments provide a strong return through higher home values, increased average earnings in the area, and attract businesses. Strong school systems truly benefit the community at large.
As Republicans, we believe taxpayers deserve transparency and accountability when government asks them for additional money; those principles were central to our discussion. After reviewing the levy, deliberating it at length with our trustees and within our committee, the majority of our members voted to formally endorse the measure. We urge our our fellow citizens to join us in voting YES for our schools.
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Jonathan Burns is the chair of the Legislative District 4 Republican Central Committee, a business owner, and a parent.