Approximately 30,000 ballots will be mailed by Monday asking voters in Kalispell and surrounding school districts to approve 10-year technology tax levies of $600,000 annually for the Kalispell Public Schools elementary district and $600,000 a year for the high school district.

Ballots are due May 6.

Only voters in Kalispell will vote on the elementary levy request.

The high school levy request will be decided by voters both in Kalispell and rural school districts outside Kalispell that send students to Flathead and Glacier high schools.

If the high school levy is approved, taxpayers who own a home with an assessed value of $200,000 could anticipate a tax increase of $12.61 a year.  

A successful elementary district levy passage would cost owners of a $200,000 home an extra $29.61 a year.

Residents who live in both the elementary and high school districts could expect a total increase of $42.22 annually if both levies pass.

This is the first time the district has requested technology-only levies. School officials hopes to secure money to maintain current equipment and networks, replace aging equipment and train personnel.

From taking attendance, inputting grades and security to accessing class assignments or online classes, technology is embedded throughout an average school day.

A sizable portion of the levy money — $454,000 a year — is tentatively slated to go toward infrastructure, including hardware, software and network equipment required to transmit and store digital data. The infrastructure improvements would include routers and servers as well as increased bandwidth and Internet connectivity.

Another $360,000 annually would be spent to repair or replace desktop computers. Other money may be spent on repairing or replacing projection devices, mobile devices, network printers and staff training.

At a technology levy forum Wednesday, a panel addressed a small audience about technology needs.

Panelists included district Information Technology Director Rich Lawrence, Superintendent Darlene Schottle, Flathead High School Biomedical Science program teacher Kaylee Shaw and STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) Academy teacher Andy Fors from Glacier High School.

“We feel well supported in our first year” of the engineering academy, Fors said. “We’re finding that we’re just scratching the surface.”

Fors gave an example. In two weeks, one of his classes will partner with a school in North Carolina through Skype and email to collaborate on a project.

Technology allows students to experience what engineers do on a daily basis, Fors said. In next year’s biomedical class, students will be able to go through lab simulations when they can’t be in a hospital or full lab setting, Shaw said.

With continued enrollment growth comes technology growth spurred by teachers integrating it into the curriculum, Lawrence said.

“We have almost 6,000 devices in this district,” Lawrence said. “Three thousand of those devices are related to instruction — devices that students physically touch and work on. We have added over 1,100 devices in the last four years.”

Additionally, new computerized state standardized tests and an increase in data reporting adds to the demand for more technology support.

“Just this year alone, we doubled bandwidth. We anticipate in two to three years we need to double bandwidth again,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence has developed a plan to replace technology that is five or more years old.

“The first thing we’re going to do is go to the school sites to create relevant, thoughtful, tech plans, then generate data to dictate how robust we need to build our infrastructure,” Lawrence said. “We’re going to look at replacing the oldest equipment first but that’s all going to be decided through classroom and curriculum needs.”

Schottle said the most important role technology plays is in extending learning opportunities.

A key reason school officials care about technology is that it keeps students engaged, Schottle said, noting that technology can help retain students, help them earn credits, graduate on time, and provide them with skills to be college- and career-ready.

Although retired Flathead High School teacher John Fuller said he supports what he termed “vital and necessary” technology improvements, he challenged the panelists to show how they have convinced taxpayers to pay more.

“I haven’t heard anything as to the district’s attempt to reallocate resources to assist the process, because if you’re going to expand and increase your devotion to technology — a laudable goal and necessary — I think basic economics teaches us we need a redirection of other resources,” Fuller said.

Schottle responded: “I think that what we have done to date is we have used a lot of general fund resources.”  

The district spends $587,165 in general-fund money from both the elementary and high school districts for technology.

District Clerk Gwyn Anderson said of that, $417,058 is spent on Information Technology staff salaries.

More than $500,500 in a technology fund draws primarily from a state block grant.

School trustee Joe Brenneman also addressed the panel and audience about funding.

“We looked at running levies the last two years for tech and I wasn’t in favor of them because I didn’t think we’d done our work in identifying the need where the money should go,” Brenneman said.

“I think we’ve done that work. We came up with the amount we need to get the job done. The only way to meet the students’ needs — this is the only tool we have. I would not defend this as being the best tool available, but it’s the only tool we have available. The Legislature could very well and should be giving us some better tools, but they haven’t.”

Audience member Scott Countryman, vice president of sales and marketing for MontanaSky, spoke about the importance of funding technology at this level to train a future work force. He said technology jobs exist in the valley and statewide, but an adequately trained work force is lacking.

“As a technology business located in the valley, we recently had to run a national search to hire for a position here inside our company for an assistant administrator. We have to do that because of the lack of local talent. The cost of doing a national search for an employee of that caliber is extremely expensive,” Countryman said.

“Out of 10 finalists, two were local. We ultimately did go with a local person, but it paints a picture for the lack of talent locally that can work in these types of jobs which are in great demand within the valley, and the state, if we can foster the education at this level.”

Also on the school ballot will be a trustee election.

Three people are running for elementary trustee: incumbent Frank Miller, Bette Albright and Lance Isaak.

On the high school side representing Evergreen and Helena Flats, incumbent Jack Fallon faces Antoine Brockman.

High school district trustee Tom Clark, whose term was set to expire, will be seated by acclamation. He represents Marion, Olney-Bissell, Pleasant Valley, Smith Valley and West Valley.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.