Voters reject $40,000 levy request in Kila

Kila School will make more cuts in its 2011-12 budget, now that voters have denied an operational levy request.

Kila voters shot down the $40,000 levy during an election Tuesday, with 161 people voting against the request and 68 people supporting it. Two ballots were invalid, district clerk Sharon Leach said.

Had it passed, the levy would have made up the rest of an $80,000 shortfall officials expect in Kila’s 2011-12 general fund budget. That deficit is due to declining enrollment and the loss of one-time dollars that have buoyed the budget for two years.

School board members already have approved $40,000 worth of budget cuts, including funding for one para-educator position, library periodicals, kitchen equipment and special education teacher books.

Additional cuts likely will include another para-educator position and a part-time custodial position, according to a message the board of trustees sent to parents and community members before the election.

Funding for student supplies and textbooks, which already has been trimmed, will face further cuts. Money that might have been set aside to help with future budget needs will be used to balance the 2011-12 budget.

If voters had approved the levy, it would have raised annual property taxes on a home with a taxable market value of $100,000 by $21.67. Taxes on a home with a $200,000 market value would have increased by $43.34 a year.