Kellogg, Wallace school levies pass by healthy margins

Administrators and staff of the two largest school districts in Shoshone County breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday night, as proposed supplemental levies for both the Kellogg and Wallace school districts were approved by voters.

Both needing only a simple 50%+1 majority, both levies cruised to approvals.

According to the unofficial election results, provided by the Shoshone County Election Office, the KSD replacement supplemental levy received 361 votes for (66%) to 186 against (34%).

"We're very excited and obviously thankful to the voters!" KSD Superintendent Lance Pearson said.

Pearson was especially grateful to KSD board members Bonnie Farmin and Alexa Griffin, as well as Administrative Assistant Megan Bumgardner, for their hard work on passing the levy.

"They know the community, they know the people."

The WSD levy was approved by an even greater margin, garnering 229 votes for (74.84%) to 77 against (25.16%).

"We're very appreciative of our local community for their support," said WSD Superintendent Todd Howard. "We have a great group of folks in the community that helped reach out. They did their thing as just patrons of the district. Getting out there and reminding people to vote and spread the information of what they were voting for. It was a great collective effort by not only our school district staff, but some of our local patrons."

While the leadership of both districts are pleased with their outcomes, passages by wide margins don't necessarily reflect overall community interest in the levies among residents.

Of the 4,117 registered voters that reside within KSD, only 517 (12.5%) actually made it out to the polls on Tuesday. The WSD levy saw similar numbers, with only 280 of the 2,396 registered voters (11.7%) casting a vote.

Accounting for nearly one third of both of their district budgets, both Pearson and Howard stress that these levies are vital to keeping things running.

Hitting on a few specifics, Farmin explained that the KSD supplemental levy helps to provide full day kindergarten, salaries/wages for teachers and staff beyond the amount provided by the state, some extracurricular activities including sports, and ROTC staff beyond what the Marine Corps gives the district.

In Wallace, Howard explains that these now approved levy funds also support numerous elective classes and the staff associated with them.

The now approved KSD levy is $2,985,400 per year (an increase of $305,000) for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, which according to school officials, will cost KSD voters $449 per $100,000 of assessed property.

The WSD levy clocks in at $1.7 million, an amount that is set to give taxpayers a roughly 5.5% reduction.

“That value is $100,000 less than the previous levy passed in 2020," Howard said in a previous interview. "The reduction in the proposed levy amount would provide a decrease of $26.72 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value per year for our local patrons.”

While things may change, neither KSD nor WSD have any set plans at the moment to put anything else in front of voters within the next two years.