Schools to run levy election
The Whitefish School District will run a levy election next month.
The School Board voted April 10 to run a $45,000 operational levy for the high school district. If approved, the levy will not actually increase taxes for homeowners who live in both the elementary and high school districts.
The board approved the levy 6-1. Shannon Hanson was the sole vote against.
Based upon the budget authority maximum, the elementary district is capped out for the 2012-2013 year. This is expected to decrease taxes by about $6 for a $200,000 home.
The high school levy, if passed, would only increase taxes for the same value home by about $2.50, thus actually resulting in a savings of about $3.50.
Trustee Dave Fern said when he first considered running a levy election he was against the idea until he looked at the numbers.
“We really don’t want to run a levy election out of respect for the voters who passed the bond,” Ferns said. “But if we don’t run it there are implications. If we don’t run it the bottom line is there will either be staffing or program issues or a combination of both.”
“It’s a pretty modest amount,” Fern added. “It’s a choice that’s difficult to make, but it appears that running a levy is far more sensible than just playing around with the staffing or program issues.”
Tax payers in March approved a $14 million bond to renovate the high school. As a result of the bond, the owner of a $200,000 home is expected to pay about $55 per year in additional taxes.
Trustee Charlie Abell seemed to agree that the budget numbers favor running a levy.
“The burden to the tax payers will actually go down as a result of this,” he said.
The savings for tax payers in the elementary district is the result of additional funding from the state level. The increase in state funding results in a decrease in the amount of local taxes paid for school funding.
The school district is expecting a shortfall in both the elementary and high school budgets next year. A shortfall of $78,865 is expected at the elementary level.
The high school district is expected to be short $84,614 without running a levy. If the levy passes, the district will still have to contend with a $38,832 shortfall.
While a number of retirements are expected to cushion the impact, one area where the district is expecting an increase in costs is salary obligations in both districts. At the elementary level salaries are expected in increase the budget obligation by $78,865. At the high school, salaries are expected in increase obligations by $39,432.
A decrease in enrollment for both districts is expected, resulting in decreased funding from the state. Four less elementary students and a loss of 17 students at the high school are anticipated for next year. The state funding for the district is about $5,000 per elementary student and just under $6,500 per high school student.
The elementary district budget is projected at just over $7 million. The high school budget is expected to be just over $4 million.
The election is Tuesday, May 8.
Pat Jarvi, Shannon Hanson and Shawn Tucker have filed for the two trustee seats up for election. Jarvi and Hanson currently hold the seats.