KPS superintendent explains levy requests
The Board of Trustees of Kalispell Public Schools will provide the opportunity for members of our community to vote on two levies on May 8.
The levies are for two very different purposes, but both are intended to improve the quality of our education system.
There is a significant amount of evidence that shows a direct correlation between the health and success of a school system and a community’s ability to attract and retain families that add to the financial stability of the business community. To this end, the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce has endorsed both levies to support the infrastructure and personnel needs within our school system.
The elementary levy is to provide personnel support to our elementary schools. We have had a growth of over 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grades in the last 10 years. Our teaching staff has continued to provide instructional programs that have led to continued growth in student achievement. However, our schools do not meet the required teacher-to-student ratio in most of our primary classrooms and some of our middle-school classes. Our elementary schools do not have any free classroom space in which to create new classrooms for children, but we can provide additional personnel to support options for small group instruction. Smaller groups and individualized instruction allows for the additional time that students may require for both interventions and enrichment.
Elementary levy:
n $211,500 is the amount of the levy, which will cost the homeowner $5.62 per year on a home with an assessed value of $100,000.
n Schools to benefit will be Edgerton, Elrod, Hedges, Russell, Peterson and Kalispell Middle School. Additional personnel will be hired to support direct instruction and provide an improved support for technology to staff and students.
The second levy placed on the May ballot is for a High School Building Reserve. We have a strong community partnership that keeps our schools busy not only with school instruction and activities, but also with Rotary basketball and volleyball; a wide range of community classes; tournaments; Glacier Symphony and Chorale; summer camps; and afterschool programs. Our schools are a community asset and due to the failure of recent requests for High School Building Reserves, there are many deferred maintenance and required replacements that have not been completed in our high school buildings.
It is also important to maintain technology support to our schools. One component of this levy will assist with purchasing band width, replacing computers, and acquiring access to our online subscriptions and student services.
High School Building Reserve Levy:
$825,583 per year for five years which will cost the homeowner $10.62 per year on a home with an assessed value of $100,000.
Schools to benefit will be Flathead High School, Glacier High School, the programs housed at Linderman Alternative Center, the Vo-Ag Center, as well as work to be done on the track at Legends Field and to support a joint program to build tennis courts at FVCC.
Whether it is a safety issue, a leaky roof or a new boiler, we must keep our buildings in good repair. The completion of these projects will, in many cases, also add to the efficiency of the buildings and provide a decrease in utility costs. Our Kids — Our Future.
Please vote on May 8 at the fairgrounds unless you reside in one of our partner elementary districts and then you vote at your local elementary school if they are having a vote or at the fairgrounds if there is no local vote for trustees or school levy in that community.
Darlene Schottle is superintendent of Kalispell Public Schools.