Liberty School District seeks two levy renewals; both proposed rates are lower than current

The Liberty School District in Spangle is among the more than a dozen local school districts that has a levy on Tuesday’s ballot. In fact, the district is asking voters to renew two levies that are expiring.

The district is asking for a renewed Educational Programs and Operations levy with a rate of $1.79 per $1,000 in assessed home value. This is lower than the current rate of $1.85 per $1,000.

“To me, that was super important,” Superintendent Brett Baum said. “We’re trying to set it at a rate where the rate per thousand is going down.”

The EP&O levy pays for items that are not funded by the state as basic education, which includes things such as art, music, athletics, counselors and the district’s nurse.

“She’s been a tremendous help,” Baum said of the district’s nurse. “It’s been invaluable with COVID.”

The levy money has also been used for personal protective equipment. Baum said some have questioned why the school district still needs so much funding even though some classes are still virtual. The district is finalizing plans to bring kindergarten to sixth grade students back to school four days a week.

“We’ve had to build new online programs,” he said. “In a COVID world, school is more expensive.”

The district also uses its levy to pay for a K-8 principal. When Baum was hired, he was expected to be the superintendent and the K-8 principal. But in recent years, the district has grown from 400 to 550 students. Because of the growth and issues created by COVID-19, the district needs a another full-time principal, Baum said.

The district is also asking voters to renew its technology, safety and security capital projects levy. The proposed rate is 21 cents per $1,000 in assessed home value, down from the current rate of 23 cents per $1,000.

“That one is a set amount, $175,000 a year,” he said. “We didn’t want to raise that at all.”

The TSS levy is used for things like software licenses, internet access, computer upgrades and security camera upgrades.

“It helps maintain our servers and networks,” he said.

When the money raised by the levies is added together, it accounts for just under 17% of the district’s annual budget.

Baum said he’s pleased the district has been able to lower the amount it is asking while still funding its needs.

“When you compare this to other schools in the county, we’re in the lowest third,” he said.

Usually, the district is able to distribute flyers about levies at sports events and other activities to reach the families in the sprawling district, but those opportunities don’t exist. The district includes the towns of Spangle, Waverly, Latah and Fairfield.

Baum said he’s made presentations to each town council in an effort to let people know what the district is asking for and why. The district has also hosted an online webinar to present information.

Baum said he hopes residents will continue to support the district’s levies, which need a simple majority to pass.

“The community has been absolutely awesome in the past, supporting our levies,” he said.

Ballots must be returned or postmarked by Tuesday. There are ballot drop boxes at the Latah Town Hall, the Fairfield Library, the Spangle Town Hall and the Waverly Town Hall.