Board members of Boundary County School District #101 met on Monday, Dec. 19 to discuss the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Levy for the 2017/18 school year. The board made a unanimous decision to maintain the current levy amount of $2.4 million per year.

Trustee David Brinkman began the meeting by filing a motion to keep the levy amount at $2.4 million, which is the same amount as the current M&O levy that expires in June of 2017.

Cal Bateman then gave a power point presentation in front of the board members that broke down exactly where these levy funds have gone in the past, and how the district currently depends on this money to ensure that all five of the district’s schools — Mt. Hall Elementary, Valley View Elementary, Naples Elementary, Boundary County Middle School and Bonners Ferry High School — have enough funding to operate safely, smoothly and effectively.

According to Bateman’s presentation, approximately 20 percent of this year’s budget depends on the levy amount. That $2.4 million is spread between seven different departments: personell, extracurricular, transportation, supplies and materials, technology, curriculum, and grounds maintenance.

The presentation revealed that a significant chunk of last year’s levy amount paid for updating the technology in area schools. It helped replace over 200 computers, many of which were over eight years old, and it went towards improving network infrastructure, which translates to updating servers and improving wireless interconnectivity between schools. Some of last year’s levy also allowed the district to update the phone systems at Bonners Ferry High School, and to install phones in Valley View’s classrooms for the first time.

In a society that is becoming increasingly dependent on computers, it is imperative for local schools to stay up to date with the latest technology. Bateman’s presentation showed exactly how the M&O levy makes that possible.

The presentation also showed how the current levy allowed schools to host a number of field trips, to buy two new school buses, and to make safety improvements at the middle school and at the high school.

The most obvious improvements are new, re-surfaced wood floors in the gymnasiums at BCMS and BFHS. Other safety improvements include: new fences, a new lighted path between the middle school and high school, a new, more secure “buzz-in” entry system at BFHS, and new sidewalks, hallways, and energy-efficient windows.

After looking at the projects that have been completed with funds from the current levy, and looking towards future projects, the board members agreed that if they can maintain the current levy budget, they should be able to get to the projects that are currently being discussed for next year. “We will at least be able to maintain at this level,” Board Chair Nichele Whittaker commented. Superintendent Gary Pflueger echoed these sentiments, saying, “I think that $2.4 million is the appropriate amount.”

Trustee Tess Rae voiced an important concern during the meeting: sometimes the unexpected happens. Sometimes a septic system suddenly fails and needs replacing. That is exactly what happened at Mt. Hall Elementary last year, and the school had no choice but to dig into the levy funds in order to cover those repair costs.

Brinkman agreed with Rae that it would be nice to have a little extra wiggle room in the budget to cover these unplanned expenditures, but remained firm in his stance to keep the levy amount the same: “Yes, we could probably ask for more money, but this is the responsible amount to ask for.”

Boundary county residents will vote on whether or not to approve the $2.4 million M&O levy on March 14.

The board will share the same slides that were presented on Monday night with the public at a workshop in each district before that date. This will give voters an opportunity to study the facts and come up with an informed opinion on whether or not to support the levy. The dates and locations of these workshops will be determined in the coming weeks.