MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho — The Mountain Home School District is asking voters to approve a 2.7 million dollar supplemental levy for the next two years. The levy will appear on ballots for the May 21st primary election.
- The supplemental levy funds will go toward paying for teacher salaries & benefits, funding athletics programs, contracting specialists, paying for service agreements to maintain schools, and buying two new driver's ed vehicles for the district.
- You can find your sample ballot for the May 21st election here.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
“We’re only asking what we need to maintain our current operations,” says James Gilbert, the Superintendent for Mountain Home School District.
He tells me that the supplemental school district levy was first put on the ballot in 2010 and has been approved every two years since then.
“This isn’t an ask to add anything. it’s to maintain the level of education that we can provide right now,” says Gilbert.
He explains a majority of the levy funds will go to paying for teacher salaries and benefits. The over 1.8 million dollar chunk equates to about 17 teaching positions.
“We need to pay teachers what they’re worth,” says LeeAnn Welle, a Mountain Home resident.
Welle has two kids in classrooms at West Elementary, she tells me that supporting teachers is important for their success.
“If we don’t have the funds to help our kids grow, then they will not succeed or do anything,” says Welle
But the supplemental levy doesn't just go to teacher benefits. The levy will also support athletics programs, contracting for specialists like occupational therapists, maintaining things like school HVAC systems and buying two cars for the district's driver's ed.
“Our supplemental levy amount, that’s how we view it, is where do we see that there is going to be a shortfall in funding from the state and that’s where we come back to our local community to hopefully help cover that budgetary shortfall,” says Gilbert.
Gilbert is hopeful voters will approve the levy. I asked him how it would impact the district if it is denied.
“We Try to provide a level of service that meets the needs of all kids and the minute we start pulling that finance support back. It’s going to cause changes that people are going to feel, you’re gonna see,” says Gilbert.
As for Welle, she plans to show teachers support whenever possible.
“Teachers are worth one in a million. They deserve everything and anything, anybody who can put up with 26 to 32 kids at a time, which I cannot… They deserve full support in any of the salary that deems appropriate,” says Welle.
