‘Do the right thing’: Vote in favor of the West Bonner school levy

By Ernie Schoeffel
Reader Contributor

I am shocked, to say the least, that Priest River alums would vote against the upcoming West Bonner County School District levy. In one recent letter to the editor, the writer claimed to be an alum yet voted against the last two levies and plans to do so again for the one on the November ballot, which is for an amount 75% less than previous requests. They bring the fiscal credibility of the board into question, knowing the district needs the previously requested amounts — closer to $4.7 million dollars. 

Lowering the amount and making cutbacks is listening to the public. Also, 44 of 47 of Priest River high-school seniors graduated last year — that’s 94%. However, the state uses the number of freshmen the class started with to get to a 66% graduation rate. The turmoil our district has been through has forced many to leave and transfer, which lowers our grad rate. To use any of this as a reason to not support a levy is just crazy.

What is not crazy is voting for a $1,130,060 levy this November. It is not everything the district needs, but it is a step in the right direction. It does support extra/co-curricular activities, two buses, child nutrition, curriculum, snow removal, ½ clerk and ½ custodian positions, and needed software/technology. 

Since the ballot deadline, the district has earned a three-year grant that will pay for the SRO of the district. This reduces the levy by $80,550. However, even before that reduction, the levy was $23 per $100,000 of assessed value. If your property’s assessed value is $1.5 million or less, this levy costs less than $1 a day. If your are unwilling to pay less than a $1 a day to help educate, feed, transport, keep safe, provide sports and invest in local children and wonder what’s wrong with the world, you should look in the mirror.

There are many people who develop a mindset that is not based on fact. It is based on other peoples’ opinions. When you read opinions and come up with your own thoughts that are based on non-factual information, you are helping spread non-truths. 

Some of the ideas that people sometimes write are so far from accurate that it makes the people who are truthful look like liars. 

One example is the subject of the district’s forensic audit. People wanted it to prove that there were cases of misappropriation of funds. After many months of examination, the auditing firm came back with the report that nothing condemning was found, prompting a big cheer from the positive patrons. Then the naysayers said the audit was not accurate. Come on people. Check it out yourself and get your information from the source, not someone else’s false ideas or thoughts.

The truth of the matter is that our beloved district is in trouble and we have to get funding to offset the shortfall. Should more of it come from the state? Yes it should. But we all know that is going to take time that we don’t have. Contact your state representatives and elected officials as high as the governor. 

We need more state funding. Base it on need. Why should the bigger schools get so much more than the schools that really need it? Now that funding is based on attendance, how can we compete with Ada County? It doesn’t make sense.

In the meantime, put your efforts into keeping our district afloat. Work hard to convince people to get out and vote in November. Read the proposals carefully. Vote for WBCSD education. It’s our — and our future patrons’ — lives that are at stake. Do the right thing.

Ernie Schoeffel lives in Priest River with his wife, Helen.