Support your school levies

There are daunting numbers facing voters these days: 14 candidates for two county commissioner positions, 11 candidates for governor and 32 candidates in local legislative districts.

And while early voting begins Monday for the June 5 primary election for some of those races, don’t forget that there are other numbers that matter — namely the funding numbers that are being requested by several local districts in Tuesday’s school elections.

In general, we find that most local school districts appear to be acting responsibly in their request for support from taxpayers, Indeed, most of the districts are not asking for anything extra, but a handful have needs that can’t wait.

In some cases, such as the Kalispell elementary district, the amount sought for a general-fund levy is relatively small — $211,500, which would amount to an extra $5.83 a year in property taxes on each $100,000 of your home’s value.

That money will be critical in adding extra staffers to deal with an influx of young elementary-school students that have pushed the district beyond accreditation limits.

At the other end, the Kalispell high school district is putting forward a building-reserve request for a significantly larger amount — $4.1 million over five years, which would increase property taxes on those affected by $10.20 a year per each $100,000 of a home’s value.

If you went on the Flathead High School tour provided by the school district, as a Daily Inter Lake reporter did, you would have no doubt that this too is a reasonable request for money to maintain a facility that was first built in 1910 and then added on to over the years.

Leaky roofs, broken lockers, cracked skylights, boiler room leaks — it all paints a picture of a school in decay in some places — and that is not what any of us want for our children. Some of the repairs needed are critical safety repairs as well, which just can’t be ignored. And it’s not just Flathead High School that needs maintenance. There are also repairs needed at Legends Stadium, the district’s central office, even the “brand new” Glacier High School.

Let’s not forget our responsibilities. On May 8 vote to give our students the education and facilities they deserve.