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Kuna residents to vote on supplemental levy for school district staffing, resources

The district said 37 jobs are on the line if the levy fails. The $3.6 million supplemental levy would be used to fund teaching, technology and textbooks.

KUNA, Idaho — Idaho is now just three weeks away from election day, where residents of Kuna will vote on a $3.6 million supplemental levy for the Kuna School District. 

The district says the levy would keep class sizes down and keep a full day of kindergarten by funding teachers, technology and textbooks.

A bulk of funding from the levy would be used to pay for 43 teachers.

"If the levy passes, we will get to maintain 37 teachers and add six more, which would help reduce our class sizes a little bit," assistant superintendent Jason Reddy said.

The district says if the levy fails, 37 teaching jobs are on the line - which, if cut, would increase class sizes. 

"I think it's definitely one of those predictors of success for students, to have a good student-to-teacher ratio," Reddy said. "If class sizes are higher, it makes it harder for teachers to engage and interact with their students in a more meaningful way, where they're building strong relationships."

If the levy doesn't pass, the high school schedule could also see a shakeup. Kindergarten would be reduced to a half-day, which could have an impact on young students' learning.

"Learning to read, learning to do, number and letter identification - those kinds of things have a big impact," Reddy said. "I think the data really strongly suggests that early kindergarten intervention and support means that a student is on track and ready for the rest of their elementary career."

The two-year supplemental levy would also allocate $250 thousand for new textbooks and make sure each student in the district has access to a computer.

The levy would cost taxpayers $65.48 per $100,000 of taxable assessed property value per year.

The Kuna Schools levy would need a simple majority of voter support to pass during the Nov. 5 election. More information about the levy can be found on the school district's website

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