HANSEN, Idaho — Voters living within the Hansen School District will be asked to approve the renewal of a supplemental levy on Nov. 3, as the small district looks to maintain the status quo and support some growing needs.
WATCH: Hansen School District voters to decide on renewing a $290,000 supplemental levy funding special services, technology and more
With roughly 300 students in the district, Superintendent Shane Hild said the continued decade-long passage of the district's supplemental levy requests has been huge for the Huskies.
"We've had it for 10 years, so it's really more of a necessity than a supplement," Hild said.
The district is asking for $290,000 per year for two years.
"Over ten years, obviously, costs have increased across the board," Hild said. "But we're not asking the taxpayers for more than we've ever asked. We're just asking them to keep supporting what they've already supported."
The funds would go to support multiple areas within the district, including technology, textbooks and classroom materials, salaries and benefits, extracurricular services and preschool.
But most of the funds — $90,000 — are earmarked for the district's growing special services programs.
Brandi Stimpson is the secondary-level special education teacher at Hansen. With over 20 students in her program, she showed us exactly what levy-approved funds support.
"This year I had to add a second classroom," Stimpson said. "There was a varying degree of needs that we had to address daily, so we do have two classrooms now."
"We've got gate-trainers, wheelchairs, a changing station for more severe disabilities," Stimpson added. "It's also kind of a de-escalation area. If we've got high-escalated behavior, we come in here to get away from that classroom."
"This room is primarily where we do our academic settings, she said. "So we do most of our teaching — any students that need academic support."
Stimpson said voter support for the levy helps fill the gaps left behind when state funding runs out.
"We don't always get provided with the things that we need. The state doesn't always cover all of those needs," Stimpson said. "I feel like we could do so much better of a job if we had everything we needed to make sure that they are 100% successful in their everyday needs."
According to the ballot, the renewed two-year $290,000 levy will come with a price tag of $121.57 per $100,000 of property tax value, dropping $3.35 from the expiring levy.
Hild said thanks to state property tax relief, district residents will only pay a very small percentage of that actual cost.
"We're only levying about $3,000 of that $290,000 when it comes down to it," Hild said. "We are asking for $290,000, but the state will support the taxpayers in the majority of that."
The levy needs 50% plus one vote to pass.
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