Rural Idaho School Districts Hit Hard as Plant Facility and Supplemental Levies Fail
Voters across Idaho largely rejected school plant-facility levy proposals in Tuesday’s election, and several districts saw their supplemental levies fail as well — leaving administrators facing budget shortfalls and deferred maintenance heading into the next school year.
Payette School District was among the hardest hit, losing both a plant-facility levy and a supplemental levy on the same ballot. Superintendent Glen Croft said he anticipated resistance to the facilities measure but believed voters would back the supplemental levy, which was intended to fund raises for paraprofessionals and other lower-wage staff members.
“The community is very tax sensitive,” Croft said, pointing out that Payette County already carries one of the lowest property tax rates in the state.
Statewide, just one plant-facility proposal received voter approval. While most supplemental levies passed across Idaho, Payette’s was among four that did not. The results underscore a persistent tension in many rural Idaho communities between the funding needs of local schools and the tax burden placed on property owners — many of whom are farmers, small business owners, and retirees on fixed incomes.
For districts that came up empty on both measures, the double failure limits options for facility upkeep and staff compensation at the same time. Administrators will likely need to revisit their proposals, adjust the dollar amounts, or pursue alternative funding sources before returning to voters.
What Comes Next: School district officials are expected to review the election results and determine whether to bring revised levy proposals back to voters at a future election. For a broader look at how school funding measures fared statewide, see the full levy and bond election results. Statewide education policy coverage is available at Idaho News.