Almost two months ago, voters turned down Troy School District's requested $338,000 property tax levy increase by 65 percent.
Normally, such a stunning defeat leads local officials toward safe ground - which here would mean to resubmit the district's current supplemental tax levy of $995,000 at the next election set for May 19. A year ago, voters approved spending that much money by 61.1 percent - as they have every similar measure since the first request of $512,000 was made in 2001.
But the safe play meant adjusting to the inadequate support offered from the state of Idaho. Even by boosting school spending $101.2 million, or 7.4 percent, state lawmakers are providing too little, too late for this rural Idaho school district.
The trade-off of running a sure-to-pass but smaller levy is continued erosion in Troy schools' ability to deliver what the Idaho Constitution defines as a "general, uniform and thorough ... free" public education. To last year's $80,000 round of cuts in administration, libraries, special education and math instruction would add another $126,000 in losses - presumably leading to fewer teachers, more crowded classrooms and the loss of some programs.
In part, that reflects declining enrollments. As Troy loses students, its share of state dollars drops. Meanwhile, the district's costs are rising and the reserves it used to shore up the budget are being depleted.
What's on the ballot, therefore, is the cost of maintaining what Troy now offers to its children. But that means asking voters to pass a big tax boost - adjusting the supplemental to $1.2 million, just a shade less than the $1.3 million the community rejected.
For the owner of a $150,000 house, it translates into paying another $92 on top of his current $580 tax bill.
It's a huge gamble. If Troy again says no, the community will see just how poorly Idaho still supports its schools. With no supplemental funds at all, Troy will be forced to:
- Lose about a third of its teaching staff.
- Lay off anywhere from a third to half of its classified employees.
- Cram younger students into multi-grade classrooms.
- Eliminate extracurricular programs and PE.
If the levy fails, Troy's next opportunity to pass one - even a less ambitious proposal - won't come until August. By then, teachers and staff left holding a potential pink slip may have sought and secured permanent employment elsewhere.
By no means is Troy an outlier. This year's Legislature notwithstanding, lawmakers have spent the past 15 years trimming back school funding in order to lower taxes in the mistaken belief that it would restore Idaho's prosperity. Among those cuts was interim Gov. Jim Risch's 2006 plan to drop property tax support for schools in exchange for a sales tax increase, which destabilized the system.
Over time, more schools have become dependent upon supplemental levies for the necessities.
Of Idaho's 115 school districts, 93 have voluntarily raised property taxes - generating more than $180 million.
Not all school districts are created equal, however. It's not as difficult for a community sitting on a mound of property tax wealth to raise a little more money. Troy does not have that luxury.
Eventually, the well of local support is going to run dry for most Idaho schools.
The question now is whether Troy got there first. - M.T.
