KALISPELL — Kalispell Public Schools is trying its hand at another levy, but the last high school levy to pass in Kalispell was in 2007.
KPS is asking that two levies be approved in the May 7 election. One is a renewal of the Elementary Technology Levy which would not raise taxes at all. The second request is for a High School General Funds Levy which would increase taxes by $1 per month on a $300,000 home.
“The bigger conversation on the High School District, and just with levies in general, is us doing a better job of communicating why levies are necessary, why levies are actually an annual event. It's the mechanism the state has allowed us to use to keep up with growing student populations and inflation,” said Kalispell Public Schools Superintendent Matt Jensen.
KPS receives the lowest amount of funding on a per-student basis compared to every other AA high school district in Montana. The rate of inflation coupled with an increase in students adds up to the 2007 levy not keeping up with the demands.
Jensen told MTN that if the high school levy request doesn't pass, then programs and staffing will have to be reduced.
“We really have hit a point where we're starting to consider what programs will need to diminish and reduce. And those are tough conversations. I think there's a lot of programs that people feel pretty sacred in this community. So before we start reducing and cutting those programs, or opportunities for our kids. Our responsibility now is getting out to the community and saying this is what we need,” said Jensen.
The high school general funds levy would be a permanent levy if passed. If voters don't approve the request, then four certified positions would be cut.
“I've heard from people that you know, they see the word permanent on a ballot, and that gives them some apprehension, but the mechanism really means that the budget that they're approving is permanent, meaning the district cannot increase it unless they go back to the community,” said Jensen.
Visit https://www.sd5.k12.mt.us/about-us/technology-generalfund-levies for additional information about the KPS levy requests.
