Somers-Lakeside School District levy defeated

The Somers-Lakeside School District general-fund levy request of $405,000 was defeated last week with 626 votes against it and 515 votes for it. John Hollensteiner and Sam Bagley won the trustee election with 541 votes for Hollensteiner and 446 votes for Bagley. Dave Alexander had 426 votes and Stephen Naso had 315.

The new board of trustees will have two tasks to start out with, selecting a new superintendent for the district and balancing the budget since the levy didn’t pass.

“I would have liked to see it pass, but it is what it is,” trustee Courtney Shaeffer said. “I was sad obviously, but I also know we can be resourceful and come up with a way to make it work.”

The levy request was to fund repairs that have been put off in the past due to budget constraints, maintain extra curricular activities, and keep their current staff numbers which allows the school to meet state standards.

The district’s budgetary concerns are the result of various factors that have built up over the years combined with decreased state funding due to drops in enrollment.

According to board trustee Tim Rogge, the levy request was a projection for what will be needed in the next three to five years.

Trustee Mike Schlegel said the district should be able to get by this year without the levy, but it will probably mean an untenured teacher will lose their job.

Current superintendent Casey Love wasn’t surprised to see the levy fail, nor was Schlegel. Schlegel said the levy failed because it was labeled as “education.”

“The problem is whatever the price is, it’s offensive to use those analogies because it’s not just education, it’s really raises and salaries, but they call it education,” Schlegel said. “The teachers making $80,000 can take a freeze so the ones making $27,000 can catch up, that’s what’s fair, that’s what I’ve learned from six years of being on the board.”

One reason costs have increased for the district is from the Steps and Lanes program. This program is part of each teacher’s contract and guarantees increases in pay as the teacher increases his or her qualifications by taking additional classes.

The Steps and Lanes program functions as a way to compensate teachers who further their training in new instructional methods. For instance, a teacher who earns a Masters degree and keeps up on the latest methods of instruction will be able to provide a higher quality of education than a teacher who sticks to the same curriculum with the same approach every year and doesn’t take additional classes to increase their qualifications.

“It’s not about the teachers as much as it is about the system,” Schlegel said. “We are unable in the current system that at the top of the pay scale we are unable to stop that increase and try to bring up the younger teachers that are making very little money. It’s very frustrating to try to work in a system like this, it’s so convoluted. So the ones in turn to pay the price are the kids, that’s really the truth.”

The district’s insurance costs also increased by over 30 percent a few years ago through MUST, Montana Unified School Trust. This system works by pooling funds for claims, and the premium increases as the claims increase.

Budget cuts were made last year such as Somers Middle School principle, Lori Schieffer, stepping down to three-quarters time employment, staff cuts, and postponing repairs to Lakeside Elementary’s roof and plumbing repairs to both schools.

“We will have to be creative with our budget and look for ways to come up with a shortfall,” Shaeffer said.

Because the levy didn’t pass it is unlikely the repairs for Lakeside Elementary and Somers Middle School will happen. The future of the district’s sports programs are also questionable. However, the cuts that get made to balance the budget are ultimately up to the new board of trustees and whomever they hire as superintendent.

“We’re going to have to come up with solutions to the problems, maybe short-term answers, or I guess short-term answers to some long-term problems,” Love said. “Next year will be a difficult one, and moving forward I think the new superintendent has got a lot of things to tackle. I just don’t want to see the educational component diminished.”