Voters within Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 overwhelmingly approved a supplemental levy Tuesday that will generate $9.25 million per year for the next two years to better fund local public schools.

The levy, which required a simple majority to pass, received support from 62.82 percent of voters. It passed by a vote of 4,102 in favor to 2,428 opposed.

The levy amount for the next two years will remain the same as it’s been for the past six years.

At the current levy rate, homeowners would pay $192.20 per $100,000 of taxable value.

The supplemental levy will help fund district expenses such as salaries, investments in school security, daily operations, academic programs, athletic programs, fine arts instruction, textbooks, instructional supplies, utilities, insurance premiums and investments in remote learning, according to a District 25 fact sheet.

More than 80 percent of Idaho school districts bolster their funding with a supplemental levy, the district said in its fact sheet.

The supplemental levy covered 12 percent of the district’s budget during the 2019-2020 school year. Pocatello Education Association President Mary Anne McGrory emphasized that 90 percent of the district’s funds are used to support employee wages and benefits. Given Idaho’s current level of investment in education, McGrory believes the supplemental levy is crucial.

“If we were to lose 12 percent of our budget ... the positions of those people who retire or leave teaching, I would expect those positions would not be filled and remaining staff would be shuffled around,” McGrory said.

Without the levy, she said the district would also likely lose many paraprofessionals and classified staff.

“It is a necessity to run these levies until we get a state Legislature that will fully fund public education and move us out of the 51st position — that includes Washington, D.C. — for spending on education,” McGrory said.

McGrory and her fellow teachers’ union members conducted a texting and phone call campaign to raise awareness about the supplemental levy election. She said the PEA also sent postcards to members to “rally the vote.”

District 25 is the state’s fifth largest school district, with more than 12,000 students and about 1,700 employees. The district includes 13 elementary schools, four middles schools, three high school one alternative school and an early learning center.

According to the district’s supplemental levy fact sheet, the district had a 91.1 percent graduation rate in 2020, which was above the state and national rate. The district awarded 11,674 dual enrollment college credits during the 2019-2020 school year. Furthermore, all grades tested during the 2019 Idaho Standards Achievement Test performed with proficiency above the state average in English, math and science, according to the fact sheet.

School District 25 Superintendent Doug Howell issued a statement following the passage of the levy: “The supplemental levy is local support for local education. This levy has been in place for more than 60 years, which means this community continues to play a pivotal role in supporting the delivery of K-12 education across Pocatello and Chubbuck. The positive election results are a vote of confidence for the school district, our staff, our Board of Trustees, and most of all, the high quality educational opportunities we are providing so that all learners may achieve success. We owe the community our deepest thanks and heartfelt gratitude for its continued support.”

School District 25 Trustee Janie Gebhardt also thanked the voters for their show of support for local education.

“Idaho better learn that we need to fund education better than we have been, but I’m so glad to see the levy pass,” Gebhardt said. “... I’m so glad people in this area are supporting education in School District 25.”