Sound schools are our responsibility
When we look at the institutions that have stood the test of time in the Flathead Valley, our schools are at the top of the list. They have been our pride and joy, not only for the academic excellence and winning teams they’ve produced but also the consistent community gathering places they’ve been.
Even in this day and age, our schools remain tightly woven into the fabric of our lives. But without some much-needed maintenance, they’re bound to unravel.
Voters in the Kalispell school district have a big issue before them this month. Do they give a favorable nod to the nearly $6 million the high school district is asking to pay for repairs and upgrades to its buildings over the next five years? Or do they say no and force the district to drain some $433,000 from the general fund budget every year for the foreseeable future to pay for necessary repairs and technology needs?
It remains to be seen what would suffer if the levy fails, but make no mistake, the cuts would be deep and painful to pay for some very basic maintenance such as replacing outdated boilers at Flathead High School — once of which dates back to the 1930s — and installing a fire suppression system to bring the building up to code.
These are not luxury items, and when we do the math, it figures out to about 16 cents a day for the owner of a $200,000 home.
If the building reserve and technology levy passes, it would be used for a variety of projects at both Flathead and Glacier high schools, the H.E. Robinson Vo-Ag Center and Linderman Educational Center. Glacier High will be 10 years old at the end of the levy’s five-year cycle and school officials anticipate that building, as new as it still seems, will begin to need some repairs by then.
We have an obligation to provide a safe environment for our students, and also protect our investment as taxpayers in our school buildings. That’s why we urge voters to say yes to this levy.
Kalispell voters historically have supported these ongoing building reserve levies until two years ago when, in the throes of a severe recession, taxpayers rejected a $4.1 million request.
We realize times are still tough for many of us. And it’s easy to get swept up in the national debate over education these days and whether teachers in places like Wisconsin are earning too much. That’s not what this is about.
Please remember, this levy has nothing to do with teacher salaries or programs. But it has everything to do with preserving the physical soundness of some of our best community resources.