Whitefish voters to decide on school levy in May election
The Whitefish School District office at Central School downtown. (Heidi Desch/Whitefish Pilot)
Voters in the Whitefish School District this spring will consider an operational levy that is intended to fund additional staffing at the high school.
The Whitefish School Board on March 12 approved placing on the ballot a request for a permanent levy of $108,337 for the high school district general fund. The levy’s estimated impact on a home valued at $500,000 will be an additional $4.77 a year.
The mail-in election will be held May 7.
The school board also approved a permissive levy of $175,880, which does not require voter approval. The levy’s estimated impact on a $500,000 home will be an additional $7.73 annually.
According to District Clerk Lucie Shea, the funds will go toward additional staffing at the high school, which is needed due to increased enrollment.
640 students were enrolled at Whitefish High School at the start of the school year, compared to 593 students at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
The high school's enrollment had dipped to 618 students at the beginning of March.
District-wide enrollment was at 1,929 at the beginning of March. Last year's total enrollment ended at 1,879.
Historically, Whitefish School District's total enrollment has crested the 1,900 mark only four times in the last two decades: in 2019-20, 2005-06, 2004-05, and in 2000-01.
If both levies are enacted for 2025, Whitefish School District taxpayers with a home valued at $500,000 can expect to pay approximately $471 annually to the district. Taxpayers with a $750,000 home will pay approximately $707 yearly.