POCATELLO — For the second straight year, state property tax relief will fully cancel out the local property tax rate for Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25’s supplemental levy, bringing that rate to zero in 2026.

The district received $10,789,319 in state property tax relief this year, about $665,000 more than last year. That funding covers the entire $8.25 million supplemental levy and leaves additional relief that further lowers the district’s overall local property tax collections.

A zero rate does not mean the levy itself has disappeared. The $8.25 million annual levy remains in effect and goes before voters for renewal Nov. 3. It has had community support since 1949.

District officials estimate that after applying the state relief, the amount levied locally in 2026 will fall to about $4.5 million, down from roughly $5.19 million in 2025. The district’s overall levy rate is projected to drop from 0.000581891 in 2025 to 0.000516820 in 2026. District officials relayed that how much of an individual property owner’s tax bill will go to the district won’t be known until December.

“We appreciate the Legislature’s continued investment in property tax relief for Idahoans,” Superintendent Douglas Howell said. “For the second consecutive year, this funding provides meaningful savings for local property owners while maintaining important resources that support our learners, staff and schools.”

The supplemental levy has helped bridge the gap between state and federal funding and the actual cost of running the district for more than 75 years. It funded about 8 percent of the district’s operating costs during the 2025-26 school year. The current levy expires June 30, 2027, and the Nov. 3 ballot measure would renew the same $8.25 million annual amount for two more years, unchanged from the last renewal.

District officials cautioned that the estimated tax impact on the ballot does not assume future state relief will continue. State funding has zeroed out the levy’s local rate in both 2025 and 2026, but future relief is decided separately each year and is not guaranteed.

The levy funds six areas of district operations. Classroom instruction receives $4.25 million, covering salaries and benefits for teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators and support staff. Custodial services and school maintenance receive $1.375 million. Textbooks, supplies and curriculum materials receive $1.1 million. Instructional technology and support staff receive $750,000. School safety, including resource officers and safety technology, receives $575,000. Extracurricular and competitive programs in academics, athletics, music and career and technical education receive $200,000.

The amount Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 collects locally has fallen sharply in recent years amid the state relief, from about $10.4 million in 2023 to an estimated $4.5 million in 2026. District officials said they plan to continue explaining to the community how state funding, local levies and property tax relief interact ahead of the November election.

More information on the levy renewal is available at sd25.us/elections.