North Idaho schools rely more heavily on taxes than other parts of the state

North Idaho school districts rely heavily on local taxpayers to make ends meet — more than districts in other parts of the state.

In Moscow, for example, additional fees account for 39% of the school district’s total budget. In similar-sized districts like Emmett and Shelley, levy dollars make up a much smaller portion of the pie, with less than 5% of their general fund budgets.

But Moscow is in good company. Nationally, 19 of the 20 counties with the greatest reliance on taxes are in northern Idaho. None of these are in the Treasure Valley area.

Competition with Washington’s higher salaries, cost of living and more travel are some of the key factors, said Quinn Perry, director of policy and government affairs for the Idaho School Boards Association.

The main reason is Idaho’s western neighbor: Washington.

“For many North Idaho residents, commuting across the state line for a sharp increase isn’t much relief,”So you’re competing with the job market in Washington,” Perry said.

Washington has higher per student funding than Idaho, so they pay their teachers and staff more.

This affects both large districts like Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene, as well as smaller districts like Potlatch and West Bonner, which must increase local property taxes to offer competitive salaries.

Another contributing factor is that teacher salaries in North Idaho simply aren’t as high compared to other parts of the state, Perry said.

“It just costs more money to own a home, especially in these areas where there is tourism or attractions, where the cost of living is much higher and to attract, maintain and compete not only in Washington but other counties as well. Perry said. “It makes sense to me that districts rely on taxes.”

Nine miles from Moscow, teachers can earn tens of thousands more every year

Superintendent Shawn Tiegs said Moscow relies heavily on taxes This is largely due to the wage disparity in Washington.

Despite having some of the highest teacher salaries in the state, Moscow is losing educators to nearby Pullman, Washington.

“It’s an easy commute,” Tiegs said. “There is strong geographical pressure on teacher salaries.”

The starting salary for a teacher in Moscow is $41,500, compared to $55,318 in Pullman, just nine miles away. This difference increases with the salary scale. In Moscow, the teacher salary is $82,647, compared to $104,265 in Pullman.

“You can make all sorts of judgments about what is good or not good, but that is the reality we face,” Tiegs said.

The majority of the district’s budget goes toward staff salaries and benefits, Tiegs said. But Moscow is in the unique position of not having to go to voters every year or two to renew its levy. Moscow voters approved an open-ended levy in 1992 and have approved several increases since then.

Home of the University of Idaho, Tiegs said he wasn’t surprised that residents were willing to financially support public education. Lewiston, home of Lewis Clark State College, is just behind Moscow, with 37.8% of its general fund budget coming from levy dollars.

“There is no doubt in my mind that people in Moscow value quality education and want the best for their children and will do everything to achieve this,” Tiegs said.

Potlatch and Coeur d’Alene school leaders are using levies to keep teachers in Idaho, with mixed success

Further upstream in Potlatch, a 460-student district, school leaders are competing with nearby Washington Cities of Palouse and Garfield.

The district’s levy represents 25.4% of its general budget and largely goes toward employee salaries.

“At Potlatch, we try to provide learning opportunities for students through CTE programs, and while we receive a salary-based allocation from the state, we rely on this levy to truly provide the electives we need,” Superintendent Janet said Avery.

Shon Hocker is superintendent of Coeur d’Alene Public Schools, where levy money accounts for 19.6% of the district’s general fund budget.

Hocker agreed that proximity to Washington is driving North Idaho schools to rely more heavily on levies. About 40% of Coeur d’Alene’s additional taxes go toward employee salaries and benefits.

“We want to create wages that are as livable as possible in our region,” he said.

Teachers can often make more than $20,000 more a year by driving the 20 to 30 minutes to Washington, he said.

“We want to keep our staff,” Hocker said. “I think our staff knows we probably won’t be able to match Washington salaries in the near future, but we can always strive to do our best.”

Hocker said the cost of living in Coeur d’Alene in particular has skyrocketed.

“Of course, we monitor teacher turnover very closely. We are fortunate that we have a number of experienced teachers,” Hocker said. “We also have a whole bunch of new teachers. The problem is the number of teachers in the middle.”

The district can recruit young teachers, he said, but once they get married and want to settle down, those educators find that even with two incomes, they can’t buy a house in Coeur d’Alene.

This often leads to teachers leaving the district for better pay. This turnover impacts not only the students, but the entire school community.

“Teaching is an art and a science,” Hocker said. “Both get better with experience.”

More travel adds to the need for local dollars

Travel to sporting events and statewide competitions is more expensive for North Idaho schools, Tiegs said, even with support from the Idaho High School Activities Association.

To get to a recent golf tournament in Idaho Falls, Moscow students drove to Coeur d’Alene, then over to Butte, Montana, and then down Interstate 15.

“It’s the geography you have,” he said.

In Boundary County, bus drivers can travel up to 700 miles per day.

In Potlatch, the district’s 450 students are scattered across 385 square miles, often on dirt or poorly maintained roads. The mileage costs and wear and tear add up, Avery said.

Traveling to conference games, for example in Kooskia, takes two and a half hours.

It’s not just the miles driven, but also the lack of other services, Avery said.

“That can add to the high maintenance costs,” she said. “Sometimes we need to use contractors and as we are in remote or rural areas the cost can be higher due to travel costs.”

Everything costs just a little more, Avery said, and that adds up.

“I also think the cost of utilities, the cost of running our school districts and the cost of living I think is a little bit higher,” Avery said.

Levies are “essential” for North Idaho schools.

Putting a levy before voters every two years is frustrating not only for the district but also for voters, Hocker said. It costs money to raise a levy, including paying a lawyer to write ballot language, educating voters and sometimes saving money on arranging contracts for the county, Hocker said.

“There’s just a lot of tax fatigue,” he said.

“I don’t know if the Legislature understands that educating a student in northern Idaho could cost more than in southern Idaho.” — Janet Avery, Potlach School District superintendent.

Earlier this month, Hocker advocated extending the deadlines to a period between two years and a permanent levy. He suggested six years as a good starting point.

“Eternity seems like a hell of a long time to everyone, but I think everyone realizes that two years is way too fast,” Hocker said.

Coeur d’Alene introduced a permanent levy alongside a plant levy in March 2023, both of which failed. Their two-year supplemental levy was passed two months later and again last month. Despite the passage, the district has had to close an elementary school and make budget cuts in recent years.

“They’re really a basic levy,” Hocker said.

The combination of levy fatigue and the importance of funding to North Idaho districts is frustrating, school leaders said.

“I don’t know if the Legislature understands that educating a student in northern Idaho could cost more than in southern Idaho,” Avery said.

ISBA’s Perry said school leaders are pushing for lawmakers to recognize that supplemental levies are essential.

Trustees voted earlier this month on a number of issues they plan to use to pressure lawmakers in the upcoming session.

“Nobody likes to live and die with a two-year election,” Perry said. “It is completely disastrous for a district to reevaluate a budget when its community does not support a levy.”