North Idaho schools are the most dependent on local dollars and the least able to collect taxes

Of the 25 additional school levies on the statewide ballot in November, only three failed, all in northern Idaho.

Boundary County, West Bonner County and Lakeland were the only school districts where their levies failed. The Boundary County levy would have had the lowest tax burden among the 25 counties at no additional cost to taxpayers. West Bonner’s levy had the second lowest burden at $23 per $100,000 of property.

All three are among the 20 school districts in Idaho that rely most heavily on supplemental levies, based on the percentage of their total budget funded by levy money. In fact, 19 of the 20 counties most in need of levies are in North Idaho. West Bonner County ranks fourth, Lakeland ranks 12th and Boundary County ranks 19th.

BCSD Superintendent Jan Bayer says supplemental levies for North Idaho schools should be considered “essential” levies as the region struggles with teacher retention, demographic changes and the high costs associated with rural areas.

“We have to offer competitive wages with Sandpoint, and they compete with Newport,” she said. “Overall, Northern Idaho is competing with Washington for the job market.”

Fifty-eight percent of Boundary County’s levies would have gone toward salaries and benefits.

In Couer d’Alene, 40 percent of taxes go toward salaries and benefits. Shon Hocker, superintendent of Couer d’Alene Public Schools, said teachers can earn $20,000 or more annually simply by crossing the state line to work in Washington.

The rising cost of living in North Idaho, driven by tourism and an influx of out-of-state residents, is increasing the financial burden on teachers. Additionally, it is often newcomers who vote against the levies, Bayer said, adding that people moving to Boundary County tend to be older and do not have school-aged children.

“There is an anti-tax movement that is hurting us because so many people moving to Boundary, West Bonner and Lakeland come from states that impose high taxes for education – Oregon, Washington and California – places where “They had no right to vote,” Bayer said.

The remoteness that makes North Idaho an attractive destination for foreigners also makes its schools more expensive to operate.

According to a report from Idaho Education News, bus drivers in Boundary County can travel up to 700 miles per day. For athletic and academic competitions, the nearest school is about 30 miles away, and a drive to more urban areas of southern Idaho can take ten hours. The Boundary County levy would have purchased a new bus.

Likewise, the shipping costs for school canteen food add up over long distances.

Southern Idaho schools also have better access to professional psychologists and speech therapists. In North Idaho, these types of services are becoming more expensive and less effective because they are only offered online.

Overall, North Idaho schools are expensive to maintain and operate. School districts in the region are by far the most reliant on turning to local dollars for funding. These funds are also the most frequently rejected.

“This is how Idaho funds public schools, whether people like it or not,” Bayer said. “The only way to get more money is to be local.”