Eight school districts across Idaho will ask voters for a combined total of just over $114 million on their May ballots.
Three North Idaho district leaders said the passage of their supplemental levies after failures in November are the only way to avoid layoffs and eliminating programs.
- In Lakeland, trustees reduced their levy ask by $2 million in November, even if the levy passes the district will lose 25 staff members. If it fails, another 25 teachers will lose their jobs and sports will move to a pay to play model.
- In West Bonner, if the levy fails the district will close two of its elementary schools, leaving only one elementary and the junior/senior high school open.
- In Boundary County, the small district could lose up to 24 staff members without the levy along with funds for extracurriculars.
Districts across North Idaho rely more heavily on supplemental levies than the rest of the state due to increased costs and competition with nearby states, who pay more.
The deadline for a school district to submit a ballot measure was Friday. This story will be updated with any ballot measures that were not processed Friday afternoon. If you know of a bond or levy we missed, email us at [email protected]…