GARDEN VALLEY, Idaho — The Garden Valley School District is asking voters to consider a $500,000 replacement supplemental levy to support staff and students for the next two years.
The district, which serves about 200 students, has successfully passed supplemental levies every two years since 2008.
"Garden Valley School in general is a hub for the community, it's at the heart of the community," said Superintendent Hannah Spafford. "Garden Valley has a long history of passing levies, and I think really it gets back to people understanding what the levy support means to students."
WATCH: Hear from district leaders about the supplemental levy
^ Click here for a full breakdown of what the levy would support
"This levy is really to support the current operations as they are; this isn't for a new initiative, it's not to expand anything. This is to continue business as we're doing it for the school district," Spafford said.
Without the $500,000 replacement supplemental levy, the district would have to make cuts.
"If this levy doesn't pass, the district will be faced with some really tough decisions, and we'll have to look at our programming, look at the electives that we offer that sort of thing, and really consider what we must offer students versus what we would really love to offer students," Spafford said.
The district pursues grants annually to help fund programs; this year raising over $160,000, according to Spafford. But grant funding is less reliable than levy money and can fluctuate from year to year.
The district also recently brought school busing in-house, which Spafford says is projected to save $80,000 this year.
"We just want to be able to make sure that kids have electives, and that they have needs met," said Hannah Mitchell, who taught in Garden Valley for five years and now serves on the school board.
Mitchell explained that programs like auto shop, career and technical education classes, and the arts are crucial for preparing students for life after graduation.
"I believe it's incredibly important, even though I don't have my own kids in school yet, I am so happy to be able to contribute to that, just because I see all of the good that comes from the school, and that kids are cared for and educated is really important," Mitchell said.
If passed, the supplemental levy would cost taxpayers approximately $36.33 per year, per $100,000 of taxable assets for two years.
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