LEVY: Vote yes for Cd’A schools

As a kid in Coeur d’Alene, I graduated from Lake City High School before attending college and law school. My wife, Jamie, is also a Coeur d’Alene public schools graduate. Our children have attended Bryan Elementary, Canfield, and CHS. Jamie and I now own Kootenai Law Group in Coeur d’Alene, and we’ve seen what our schools give this community. That’s why I’m asking my neighbors to vote yes on the replacement school levy on Nov. 3.

This isn’t a new tax. It replaces the levy voters approved in 2024, which expires next June, and Coeur d’Alene has relied on voter-approved levies since 1986. State funding doesn’t cover the full cost of our schools. The levy funds about a quarter of the district’s operating budget, including teachers, support staff, nurses, safety officers, AP classes, electives, athletics, and music. It’s also crucial to keeping K-Tech open.

As a business owner, I know strong schools produce the skilled, dependable workers every local business needs. They’re also why families move here and stay, and those families shop, dine, and build their lives in our town.

The cost is real. The new rate is estimated at $110 per $100,000 of taxable value per year, about $19 more per $100,000 than today. For a typical home with the homeowner’s exemption, that’s roughly $80 more per year. Budgets are tight, and I understand that. But this is a sound investment in our future employees, health care workers, entrepreneurs, and neighbors.

Jamie, our children, and I got a great start in these schools. Today’s students deserve the same. Please vote YES on Nov. 3.

ROBERT J. GREEN

Coeur d’Alene