Lewiston reduces school levy

The Lewiston School Board decided to reduce the levy rate a year early because the Idaho Legislature allocated more funding for education.

The Lewiston School District reduced its levy rate to $3.95 per $1,000 of property value, which will begin when taxpayers next pay their property taxes. The new rate was approved at a recent board meeting by the Lewiston School Board, said board President Brad Cuddy.

The current rate is $4.20 per $1,000 of property value, which was passed in 2018. Voters earlier this year approved a five-year levy at the $3.95 rate, which will be in effect in 2024, but Cuddy said that the board decided to start the reduced rate early.

“The voters renewed the levy and did their part and supported the school,” Cuddy said. “We believe it’s time to do our part and not tax more than we need.”

One of the factors in being able to reduce the rate was that the Idaho Legislature approved an increase in funding to education asked for by Gov. Brad Little. That provided $35.4 million to the school district, which is $3.7 million more than it received last year.

Taxpayers will also be getting more relief from the Legislature in paying off the bond for the new high school. Legislators approved a tax relief bill that provided funds to taxing agencies, including school districts, to first pay off bonds, then levies, or set aside for future building costs if there were any leftover funds.

Lewiston School District Superintendent Lance Hansen said that will allow the district to reduce its bond rate that is paying for the new high school, dropping it from $1.04 per $1,000 of assessed value to $0.69.

Hansen said that the more state revenue the school district receives, the less funding local taxpayers have to provide to fill the gap in the budget. For example, the state funds fully covered an increase in teacher pay, which means the supplemental levy doesn’t have to cover that cost.

“Because the state is putting more money into education,” Hansen said, explaining why the levy rate can be reduced without making cuts to the district.

The supplemental levy makes up 36% of the district’s budget.

“So it’s huge,” Cuddy said. “The school system looks a lot different without it.”

By not cutting from the budget, Hansen said it allows for the district to provide the “high-quality educational programs our community expects of us.” Those include opportunities such as career technical education, support for students like having counselors in every school, and safety by providing secure facilities and school resource officers.

“We didn’t lose anything,” Hansen said.

Cuddy noted that the rate reduction was possible because of the state funding and showed that when the state funds education, “it creates less reliance on the supplemental levy.”

However, Cuddy is grateful voters in Lewiston supported the levy and the community has a long history of supporting the levy every five years. Cuddy said supplemental levies are a large source of funding for most public schools, and some school districts in Idaho, and in the region, don’t receive approval for those levies.

“It’s just really been tough for those districts,” Cuddy said.

Cuddy said the school board wanted to let the community know that it appreciates the support and knows the burden the taxes creates.

“Everyone on the board pays property taxes — we get it,” Cuddy said. “Taxes have gone up a lot and people are feeling it.”

Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.