Whitepine, Troy school district voters approve levies

Voters of Whitepine Joint School District and Troy School District approved maintenance and operations levies in Tuesday's election to continue their support of the local schools.

Whitepine

Taxpayers from both Latah and Clearwater counties agreed to pass a one-year $740,000 supplemental levy for the Whitepine Joint School District. The levy passed with 63.6 percent yes votes of the 252 votes cast in Latah County and the 34 votes cast in Clearwater County.

"We just can't say thank you enough and show our appreciation for the taxpayers support," Superintendent Tera Reeves said.

The levy will amount to $4.18 per $1,000 of assessed value, the same amount voters paid last year.

Reeves said the levy will help support the programs the school currently has in place, including course offerings at the high school, keeping elementary class sizes under 25 students per class, and providing activities such as athletics, music and FFA - all of which are currently paid for by the school.

"It is important for us to keep those opportunities for our kids," Reeves said. "We know that, in this area, if we had to implement pay-to-play fees for sports or buying band instruments many of the students wouldn't be able to afford it."

The money will help keep the Bovill preschool program up and running, which receives no state funding and is largely supported through the local levy.

Reeves said the preschool system lets children be in a safe environment with others their own age and allows for early detection and intervention of medical issues and learning disabilities.

"We always, always appreciate the support we are given, both financially and the support the community gives to the staff and employees in the district," Reeves said. "It is not just provided through tax dollars, you can feel it in the community. The schools are supported and people are proud of the schools."

Troy

The Troy School District asked voters to approve a one-year $995,000 supplemental levy, down $11,000 from last year. The levy passed with a 61.7 percent yes vote of the 373 votes cast.

Taxpayers will see a slight decrease in taxes with the estimated cost of the levy at $7.44 per $1,000 of assessed value. Superintendent Christy Castro said this is down about 12 to 13 cents from last year.

"The school district would like to thank community members for their ongoing support," Castro said.

Castro said the levy is intended for maintenance and operations only, covering salaries for faculty and staff throughout the district and providing $25,000 toward a new school bus to be purchased in the upcoming school year.

A portion of the money will help fund safety recommendations made by the district safety committee. The school is already equipped with wire mesh on all classroom windows and plans on building an additional wall and entry door at the elementary school to redirect visitors away from the classrooms and toward the office to check in.

Additional magnetized doors will be placed throughout the high school, beyond the ones already implemented.

"We hit a button and all those doors are locked so intruders are then locked down into one place," Castro said. "When 911 is called there is not a way for them to access any other classrooms or any other students."

Construction on the road leading to the school will begin this summer, fully paid for from last year's monies. Castro said by February 2016 the elementary school bond will be paid off, lowering taxes even further.

Sunny Browning can be reached at (208) 883-4639, or by email to sbrowning@dnews.com.