School district seeks to extend supplemental levy

Published by admin on Wed, 02/23/2022 - 2:48pm
by Philip A. Janquart
 Residents of the Weiser School District will have the opportunity on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 to vote on a two-year extension of the $350,000 levy passed in 2020 to supplement the district’s general fund.
 The proposed levy would replace the current levy that expires on June 30, 2022.
 If approved, the tax per $100,000 taxable assessed property value is expected to remain the same or slightly decreased from the current $52.44 per $100,000 taxable assessed value, according to the district.
 Recent years have been difficult, the district facing uncertainty in terms of state funding on top of COVID, which has affected enrollment and attendance.
 “These have been weird times,” said Weiser School District Superintendent Wade Wilson during a Feb. 16 regular board meeting. “If you remember two years ago, we were looking at a five percent holdback and then a two percent holdback. We are trying to work with our budget to make that work.”
Although there have been other funds available to the district through federal COVID-related Esser grants, the levy remains a critical source in keeping its general fund intact, according to Wilson.
 If the levy doesn’t pass, the district will be forced to decide which programs its schools will have to do without.
 “The biggest thing about this, should this [levy] not pass, you would need to look at taking $350,000 out of our general fund for the next two years,” he told board members. “You’d have to decide where those funds would come from.”
 The Weiser School District has released a fact sheet that provides information about the school district and explains where the levy funds would be used. The fact sheet can be found at www.signalamerican.com.
District facts:
 • 94.2 percent of the revenues used to operate the Weiser School District General Fund come from the Idaho Legislature (FY21).
 • The Weiser School District is the 38th largest of the 115 school districts in Idaho and has the 94th lowest levy rate (FY21).
 • The Weiser School District’s local property tax revenue per student for 2021-22 is $444. Other area school district property tax revenues per student include Parma ($2,181), Homedale ($1,396), Payette ($673), and Fruitland ($573).
 • The levy rate for the Weiser School District is the second lowest among the comparative SRV school districts at $0.99 per thousand compared to Parma ($3.64), Homedale ($3.68), Payette ($1.18), and Fruitland ($0.87).
 How the levy would be used:
 • Purchase of curricular materials and texts ($100,000).
 • Fund transportation costs for Weiser High School and Weiser Middle School students who participate in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that are NOT reimbursed by the state ($50,000).
 • Provide for general maintenance, maintain educational programs and staffing, including the maintenance or expansion of CTE programs ($200,000).
 • The supplemental levy in previous years has helped pay for emergency repairs (boilers, roofs, HVAC), snow removal, equipment, and other unanticipated expenditures.
 • Supplemental levy funds have also been used to hire an additional Ag. Science teacher at WHS to help reduce class loads and expand offerings, and to provide a full-time kindergarten option for kindergarten students.
 Residents of the school district can vote at their regular precinct polling locations. Call (208) 414-2092 for directions. Voters can register to vote the day of the election but must bring photo ID and proof of 30-day residency such as a driver’s license or document verifying home address.
 To request an absentee ballot, visit the Washington County Clerk’s office at 256 Court St. in Weiser, or download request at http://www.idahovotes.gov/VoterReg/absentee.pdf and mail it to the clerk’s office.
Last day to request a mail-in absentee ballot is Feb. 25, 2022. The completed ballot must be returned by March 8.
 Last day for in-person absentee voting is March 4.
 

 

Category:

Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

Connect with Us