District asks for renewal of supplemental levy

The Mountain Home School District is asking voters to renew the current supplemental levy when they go to the polls in a special election on March 11.

The levy would be good for two years and raise $2.7 million a year to maintain the existing "status quo" of the school district's programs.

The district is not offering doom and gloom projections if it doesn't pass. "We think people understand how important this is," said Superintendent Tim McMurtrey.

"This is just what you have to do to run a school," said Assistant Superintendent James Gilbert.

In 2008 and 2009, when the legislature drastically cut public school funding, the district had been forced at that time to not only pass a supplemental levy, but to still slash teaching positions and programs to stay within its financial means.

Since then, however, the district has managed to find equilibrium at the reduced levels. "We've still had to cut a few things over the last few years," McMurtrey said. "For example, we reduced the PE and music programs in the elementary schools. We didn't cut the programs, but we have fewer teachers running those programs now."

Both the administration and the overall staffing of the district are actually about 7 percent below what the state recommends and student-to-teacher ratios are much higher than the district's officials ever thought they would see, but they've learned to adjust. Administrators still have to take furlough days and the full number of contract days for staff hasn't been completely restored, but the number of days students are being taught are back up to the full 180-day level it was at before the crisis hit almost five years ago.

And that's occurred even with the district facing a shortfall of nearly a million dollars in anticipated federal funds, from Impact Aid and other sources, that were cut during sequester or which have been otherwise withheld by Congress.

Yet the district is proud of what it has been able to accomplish.

Its 96 percent graduation rate is one of the best in the SIC and nearly half, 46 percent, of its students go on to four-year colleges. Another 34 percent seek some other form of advanced schooling or training.

Students so far this year have earned 168 college credits through partnerships with BSU, CSI, CWI and NNU for advanced classes offered at the high school.

The speech and debate team is nationally recognized and the drama program is led by the reigning Drama Teacher of the Year for the state.

The district has been able to maintain a robust program of elective classes and extra-curricular activities for the students.

"We think we've done pretty well with what we've been given to work with," McMurtrey said. "In the end, we are going to teach these kids, no matter what."

The levy being proposed March 11 will represent about 13 percent of the district's expenses for student programs and activities, transportation costs and salaries and benefits for staff, among other expenses.

It also helps maintain buildings and grounds (the average age of a school building in the district is 46 years and some are approaching the century mark), and covers the cost of federally mandated programs such as special education that have been underfunded by Congress.

Asking for a supplemental levy isn't unique to this district. Since the state funding shortfalls began, 94 of the 115 districts in the state either currently have a levy in place or are, like Mountain Home, asking for one this spring.

If it doesn't pass, McMurtrey said, "it's 13 percent of our budget, and we'll cut accordingly." But he's not digging into his black book of nuclear options, yet.

"We have faith in the patrons of this district. This is something they've already seen the need for and approved. We're simply asking that it be renewed. Taxes will not go up."