Kalispell Public Schools will not request voter approval of special tax levies at the May 3 election.

At a special meeting Tuesday, school board trustees made no motion to request a levy for the high school district, with some trustees expressing concern how that would affect voting for an elementary district bond request in the fall. Trustees previously decided not to seek an elementary district levy in May.

Without special levies, the district will have to dip into one-time money to fund ongoing needs.

The high school budget is projected to increase by $377,999. District Clerk Gwyn Andersen estimated that between $50,000 to $100,000 will be required to cover a 2 percent increase in teachers’ salaries, but the priority remains to address elementary overcrowding by building new schools.

Board chairman Joe Brenneman said there was no arguing the high school district has well-defined needs, but he asked, “Is this going to adversely affect what we think is probably a higher priority in a few months? In my opinion the downside outweighs the upside. It’s not a risk worth taking.”

Trustee Mary Ruby said tapping taxpayers living in the elementary district twice — for a bond issue and a high school levy — might jeopardize the bond request.

School Superintendent Mark Flatau said he thought the district could get by without requesting a high school levy this year by using money in reserve.

The district is preparing to ask voters to approve $45 million in bonds this fall to build a new kindergarten- through fifth-grade elementary school and new sixth- through eighth-grade middle school along with renovating five existing elementary buildings and covering deferred maintenance at Kalispell Middle School.

If the district does request 20-year bonds, the owner of a home with an assessed value of $200,000 could expect property taxes to increase by $178.57 annually. Flatau noted that the median assessed value of a home in Kalispell is $170,655 and those homeowners could expect taxes to increase annually by $152.38.

Hilary Matheson is a reporter for The Daily Inter Lake. She may be reached at 758-4431 or [email protected].