Idaho school measures up for vote

Voters in three Kootenai County school districts will cast ballots today on proposed tax measures for school renovations and maintenance projects.

Polls are open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Coeur d’Alene School District is proposing a $32.7 million bond measure. Most of the money would be spent renovating Borah, Bryan, Sorensen and Winton elementary schools and Canfield Middle School.

The bonds also would finance mechanical improvements at Coeur d’Alene and Lake City high schools, Hayden Meadows and Fernan elementary schools, and Hayden Kinder Center. Other schools would get technology upgrades.

The school district estimates the owner of a $200,000 home would pay $49 annually toward the 13-year bond.

Lakeland Joint School District, covering northern Kootenai County, is seeking voter approval of a five-year maintenance levy to raise $800,000 a year for new equipment and furniture, computers and buses, and to remodel and repair school buildings, improve energy efficiency, and enhance building safety and security.

The proposed five-year levy rate is 12 cents per $1,000 of taxable property value.

The tiny Kootenai Joint School District near Harrison has proposed a $2 million bond measure to improve the wastewater collection and lagoon treatment system for its three schools.

The estimated annual tax for a $100,000 home is $38 a year.

A two-thirds supermajority vote is required for bond measures to pass in Idaho. A 55 percent majority is required for the levy to pass.