On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, voters will head to the polls to cast ballots in support of local education. The Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors endorses our area school levy measure.

The Board of Directors of the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce voted unanimously on January 20 to approve support for the Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 supplemental levy renewal. The Board of Trustees for Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 (PCSD 25) is asking voters to renew its supplemental levy for $8.25 million per year for two years. The levy amount requested is a decrease from $9.25 million, which represents a $2 million cost savings to taxpayers over two years.

What is the supplemental levy renewal? The supplemental levy is a renewable, voter-approved levy that generates funds the school district can use to support local operating costs. School districts are funded by state, federal and local dollars. The local funding helps bridge the gap between state and federal funding. These levy funds are not new taxes but a renewal of the existing levy that has been community-supported for more than 60 years.

For the 2021-2022 school year, the supplemental levy funded approximately 11 percent of the district’s operating budget. The levy contributes toward the education of more than 12,000 learners and employment of nearly 1,700 staff members, including instructional and support staff. The supplemental levy enhances the district’s ability to bolster staff salaries and benefits, which is especially important to hire and retain highly qualified and experienced teachers. The funds also support Special Education services, instructional technology, transportation, as well as day-to-day operations, including the implementation of new safety protocols and ability to provide a broad range of activities and programs.

As part of Idaho’s public school system, the school district’s fundamental responsibility is to provide fair and equitable access to the highest quality, rigorous education possible in a safe, supportive and caring learning environment. The Board of Trustees continues to make responsible decisions with an eye toward future growth while working diligently to live within its means. Our community has overwhelmingly supported the levy in the past. This levy is essential to sustain our local education system with funding staying right here in our community.

Before this year’s $2 million funding proposal decrease, the PCSD 25 Board of Trustees held the funding request flat at $9.25 million for eight consecutive years. Considering that property taxes have been an increasingly hot topic of discussion, the Chamber Board of Directors recognizes the decrease as a good faith effort by PCSD 25 to provide some meaningful property tax relief to taxpayers while continuing to deliver high quality local public education.

The levy is not a unique tax to our local school district. Despite recent increases in state appropriations for public education, nearly 80 percent of Idaho school districts rely on supplemental levies to run their local operations.

The impact of the levy and the critical function it plays to sustain local school district operations has been widely visible as the school district has worked to deliver robust and rigorous educational services. Because of its levies and forward-planning, the school district has been positioned to swiftly address complex challenges and take advantage of opportunities that demonstrate fiscal responsibility and exemplary stewardship of public funds.

PCSD 25 has a proven track record of academic excellence. The district’s five-year graduation rate is 92.1 percent of learners, exceeding both state and national levels. ISAT results show that district learners in grades 3-8 and 10 continue to perform with proficiency above the state average in English Language Arts, Math and Science. Over the past four school years, the district has celebrated 25 academic state championships spread among its three thriving traditional high schools. PCSD 25 is a 1:1 school district, which means the district has invested funds to provide one Chromebook device for every one learner. 2021 PCSD 25 graduates earned more than $46 million in scholarship offers.

A well-educated workforce is a community’s number one economic development tool. Since 2015, participation in Advanced Opportunities has significantly grown. The Advanced Opportunities program provides funding for learners who want to take advanced coursework while attending Idaho public schools in grades 7-12. The options include dual credit, workforce training, certification exams, advanced placement and International Baccalaureate programs. Through this program, PCSD 25 high school learners have earned more than 62,000 college credits since 2015. This is the equivalent of nearly $28,000,000 in out-of-pocket tuition value at Idaho State University and a cost savings of approximately $23,000,000 to local families.

In addition to supplemental levy funding, the school district has been able to use existing School Plant Facility monies to help fund the purchase of Downard Funeral Home and the former Allstate Building to house PV-TEC. From the Chamber Board’s standpoint, the purchase of the Allstate building is one of the district’s crowning achievements. The property will house the district’s Portneuf Valley Technical Education and Career Campus (PV-TEC), which is set to open with five programs in time for the 2023-2024 school year. The district offers 26 Career-Technical Education pathways, including 125 courses and opportunity for corresponding college credit, with plenty of opportunity for future growth and strong industry partnerships.

Other recent improvements based on sound strategic planning include the 2021 improvements to Pocatello High School, which added ten additional classroom spaces and ADA accessibility to 90 percent of the school, among many additional benefits. These levy funds also supported the construction of New Horizon Center; the restoration of Alameda as a middle school; and increased ADA accessibility and parking lot improvements with an eye toward safety at Franklin Middle School. The district is currently in the process of bringing its exciting five-year outdoor facilities improvement project to fruition through its Capital Improvement Program.

The levy question is a simple yes or no vote and requires a simple majority to pass. The election is scheduled for March 14, with early voting now in progress through Friday, March 10, at the Bannock County Elections Office in the Courthouse Annex, 130 N. Sixth Ave. in Pocatello.

The Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber is proud of our many years of support for the renewal of our school districts supplemental Levy. We are also very appreciative of the work that the school district does to educate our children and we support the great work of all of the district staff. To reiterate the district’s mission, our impact is much greater as we do “MORE TOGETHER” as a community. Please take the time to vote in this important election.