COEUR d’ALENE — School board members in Coeur d’Alene were surprised this week to learn the school district’s hired leader is not, and has not been, registered to vote in Idaho.

A Press investigation revealed Superintendent Matt Handelman owns a home in Coeur d’Alene, but he is registered to vote at a Spokane address. He drives a car with Idaho plates issued in Kootenai County, but his driver’s license was issued in Washington.

“I’m disappointed to learn this,” said board chair Christa Hazel, in a Thursday telephone interview. “When we campaign to support our students, staff and buildings, every vote counts.”

Voter-approved local property tax levies make up about a quarter of the Coeur d’Alene School District’s general fund budget, and bonds pay for facilities projects. Superintendents play a significant role in gaining voter support for school levies and bonds.

Hazel said the trustees who comprise the five-member school board have not yet had a chance to discuss the situation. She said a board meeting to adopt the budget is planned for Monday, and there is an executive session planned. It could come up then, when trustees meet behind closed doors to discuss certain issues, including personnel matters.

“You always have to think about public perception,” Hazel said, when asked if she thought this could reflect poorly on the school district.

The questions about Handelman’s residency status come at a time when he has been seeking employment as a superintendent elsewhere. He has applied for positions in at least three Washington school districts since March.

“If you’re going to be a leader in the community, I think you should have both feet in the community and not have one foot out the door,” said Trustee Dave Eubanks, in a phone interview.

Trustee Casey Morrisroe said he was surprised to hear of the situation on Wednesday from Handelman, although Morrisroe said he was aware Handelman spent a significant amount of time in Spokane because of his children.

Morrisroe said he can’t speak for the board, but he said it’s likely they will talk to Handelman and decide what this means for the school district, and how to address it. He noted the board will have to ask voters to approve a maintenance and operations levy next year, and those are “precious to our operations.”

“Anytime we’re talking about things other than students, accomplishments and teachers, I think we have the potential for things to reflect poorly on the district,” Morrisroe said.

Handelman said during an interview at his office Wednesday that he maintains a home across the state line because that’s where his kids live. He previously worked for the Spokane School District and was divorced when he was hired by the Coeur d’Alene School District in 2010 to serve as associate superintendent.

Handelman said because his parents both died not long before his move to Coeur d’Alene, “I was able to get a residence here right away.”

He said he didn’t have to purchase a residence in Coeur d’Alene, as an associate superintendent, but he did it because he wanted to.

“I bought a house here. I’ve been super-involved. You know I’ve been part of Rotary. I’ve been part of the HREI board, and you know, I’m now part of the CDA2030 board,” Handelman said.

He said he attends many events and fundraisers in the community.

“I feel fully invested in Coeur d’Alene, now why Spokane?” Handelman said.

He said because both his parents died not long before his move to Coeur d’Alene, he’s also able to “still maintain two homes.”

“It’s hard. It’s hard when you have heavy snow, and it’s hard when you’re trying to mow the lawns, and it’s hard when you’re paying two cable bills. It is, but I’ve done it because I’m fully invested here, and I’m fully invested in my kids.”

He said he decided against bringing his children to Coeur d’Alene because their schools, their friends and their activities are all in Spokane. He said he didn’t change his license plates from Washington to Idaho plates until he was promoted to superintendent. He said he waited because he felt the Idaho plates would have made his move to Coeur d’Alene more difficult for his children, and he didn’t want them to feel abandoned.

When Handelman’s predecessor, Hazel Bauman, was superintendent, her contract made it clear she was expected by the school board at that time to be a resident living in the community served by the district. In her contract, Bauman, who left the Coeur d’Alene superintendent’s position in June 2013, was required to establish and maintain a “permanent” residence within school district boundaries. Handelman’s most recent contract, which becomes effective July 1, has similar language, but the word “permanent” is not included.

When asked whether he considers himself a permanent resident of Coeur d’Alene, Handelman said his insurance company has also asked him that question.

“I can’t really say which my second home is because it depends on what week and what month and what day it is,” Handelman said.

He said Spokane was his first home because he lived there first, but he spends more of his time in Coeur d’Alene.

“So you know, I really do, I straddle the border. I spend most of my time here because my job demands it and I’m dedicated to doing a great job for the school district, and the kids in this school district and the community,” he said.

Handelman estimated he sleeps in Spokane five or six nights a month.

He said he found it unusual the newspaper would ask him to define his residency status.

“If you define it by where I’m registered to vote, then it’s Washington. That’s something that, you know, I think about. I certainly think about it each time we have an election year, and certainly I’ve said to myself, ‘Gosh if we ever lost by a vote, I’d feel pretty bad,’” Handelman said. “But I also know that I’m fully invested in what I do.”

As superindent of the Coeur d’Alene School District, one of Handelman’s responsibilities is getting community members to support the local property tax levies the school district places before voters every two years. A two-year levy that brought $15 million in additional revenue into the school district last year, and will again this year, will expire June 30. The district will likely ask voters to support another levy sometime in the first half of 2017.

“You know over my six years here, I’ve contributed an awful lot to both the work we do and also how we sort of explain the work we do, and ask people to consider what we’re asking for. And ultimately, I’m actually leaving it up to all of them what kind of taxes I pay over here. I pay my property taxes. I pay my income taxes. I pay my sales taxes,” Handelman said. “So I’m certainly contributing to the economy that way and paying my fair share, and ultimately just like anyone who has a vacation home.”

“We get people who complain to us, you know, when we’re coming and asking (for support for the levies and bonds) and they’ll say, well, you know, ‘I don’t even get to vote here,’” Handelman said. “Well, you know, I guess that’s a personal choice.”

He said he has thought about voting in Idaho over the years, and said although he votes in Washington, he is far more civically active in Coeur d’Alene.

Handelman said other superintendents in North Idaho and elsewhere do not live within their school district boundaries.

“If it becomes a big issue, would I switch? Absolutely,” Handelman said. “I don’t see it as a big deal...There are people all over who own more than one home in more than one state and have to have license in just one of those two places.”