KIMBERLY, Idaho — Kimberly voters will decide on two school district funding measures in the November election, including a renewal of a supplemental levy they've approved three times before.
The Kimberly School District is asking voters to renew an $800,000 per year, two-year supplemental levy that has been consistently approved by the community. This marks the fourth time the district has requested this funding.
WATCH | How the Kimberly School District will use the funds, if approved by voters—
"Kimberly is a very involved community," Superintendent Luke Schroeder told Idaho News 6. "We still have that small town feeling, and it's OK to say that it takes a village to raise a child, and we each own part of this process."
The supplemental levy funds will support extracurricular transportation for student clubs, teams, and certain field trips. The money will also help address federal funding shortfalls for special education services.
"Per student, what we received from the federal government is the same amount it was 14 years ago in dollars. And that's with an increase 700 from when I first began," Schroeder said.
The third component of the supplemental levy will fund technology upgrades, replacing aging devices purchased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also on the ballot is a 10-year, $500,000 per-year plant facilities levy to replace a $300,000 per year levy that expires in 2026. Despite the increased dollar amount, Schroeder said property owners will actually pay less.
"We're estimating for 26 that even by increasing the plant facility by $200,000 a year that that amount would drop from 104 to 90 $ so decrease of $14 per hundred thousand," Schroeder said.
The plant facilities funds have been used to purchase new school buses and cover maintenance and repair costs for school HVAC systems. The district also used these funds to purchase 35 acres of land next to the high school for future school expansion.
Early voting runs from October 20-31, with Election Day on November 5.
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