SCHOOLS: On district monetary shortages

On Sept. 17, I read where the Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Lakeland schools districts have a shortage of $13 million because the trust who handles the accounts never notified the school districts of the pending shortfalls. At this point I would wonder what “The Trust” was waiting for or hoping to hide? First off, the shortage should never have gotten that bad, and secondly, why the delay in notification? The sentence that really stands out is where they say there was no clear accounting over the past years and no indication the Trust was in trouble.

Now the school districts are having to go into their reserve funds and who knows what is going to happen next year.

Then in the Press two days later I see an article “Understanding the Nov. 3 school levy.” We have come to know and love the frequent school levies because they occur in most if not all elections. The article states that the levies use local property tax monies to help fund the schools. These levies are usually hyped as being for two years but we know they occur at every election. I would certainly hope the Trust mentioned previously couldn’t get their hands on this money because maybe that is why there is such a constant shortage throughout the school districts. 

Somewhere, somehow there needs get be an accounting of all monies for the school districts. Get and plan a budget because the last article I read about attendance in the schools stated it was down because parents are sending their children to private schools. AND yet, we keep being asked to hand over more money.

DIANE BLAIR

Rathdrum