HAILEY, Idaho — On May 21, Blaine County voters will decide the fate of a supplemental levy for their local school district.
Blaine County School District board members approved a resolution for the $1.85 million levy during their March 12 meeting. If passed, homeowners would pay $8.53 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value each year for two years.
"All of Blaine County would share the responsibility for this payment," Superintendent Jim Foudy said. "So, the relative impact to any one person is small."
Foudy said the levy would help the district deal with a $2 million deficit created after Idaho switched its funding model for schools from enrollment to attendance.
If the levy does not pass, Foudy said they will have to consider cutting preschool, Gifted and Talented Education, full-day kindergarten and summer school.
"These programs have been funded with a combination of state and local taxes but as time has gone on and inflation has increased costs, we’re no longer able to do this," he said.
Emily Brown started teaching Pre-K more than 20 years ago. She is glad the board approved the resolution and called the possibility of preschool getting cut "heartbreaking."
"I just think that preschool is vital to education," she said. "It’s the foundation, and we really need this levy to pass to keep it."
To help balance next year's budget, the board also voted to cut 14.5 positions. Foudy said nobody will lose their jobs because nearly 2 dozen people are retiring.
Going to the taxpayer was a last resort, he said.
“This buys us time," Foudy said. "It buys us at least two years, and in that time, we would hope to find other ways to reduce expenditures so we’re not dependent on a supplemental levy, which is true for many other districts in Idaho.”
Voters previously approved a Plant Facilities Levy for the district in August 2022. Plant Facilities levies are used to maintain and repair buildings, according to the district's website.
Supplemental levies require 50 percent +1 approval to pass.
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