The Lakeland Joint School District felt its community’s support Tuesday as voters approved its two proposed levies.

“I am extremely elated right now,” said Superintendent Becky Meyer. “Our

district is so grateful to our patrons. We will put their tax money to good use and be fiscally responsible and make sure every student is learning and growing every day.”

The supplemental maintenance and operations levy for $8,990,534 per year — a total of $17,981,068 — passed with 65.45 percent of the votes in Kootenai County. There were 1,875 votes in favor of the levy and 990 votes against it.

Supplemental levies are used to fill the gaps between state funding and the cost of running school districts. They must be approved by voters every two years by a 50 percent vote plus one vote.

The supplemental levy will be used to implement full-day kindergarten in the district’s elementary schools, add some classified staff positions such as school resource officers in the district’s county schools, hire athletic trainers for the high schools and repairing instruments for band and orchestra programs.

The levy is over $3.5 million more per year than the district’s current one-year supplemental levy that expires this year and will also raise local tax rates by $0.99 per month for each $1,000 of taxable assessed value — a property's value, as determined by a tax assessor, minus applicable property tax exemptions.

The supplemental levy will raise the current tax rate of $2.51 per month for each $1,000 of taxable assessed value to $3.50.

The district estimated that the cost per month for someone with a $180,000 home and a homeowner’s tax exemption, would go up by $10.62 per month due to the supplemental levy. With current tax rates, the same homeowner is paying $16.25 per month, but that would go up to $26.88 per month with the proposed supplemental levy.

The district’s other levy, a five-year plant facility levy for $1,146,520 per year — a total of $5,732,600 — passed with 67.92 percent of the vote in Kootenai County.

A plant facility levy is a sum of money Idaho taxpayers can choose to give to their local school districts to help pay for new construction, significant maintenance and remodeling projects and must be approved with a 55 percent vote. This levy will be used to better the district’s technology infrastructure — like providing enough computing devices so each student can use their own in class — to maintain the district’s bus fleet, repair roofs and resurface the high school track.

The proposed plant facility levy is a $346,520 increase from the district’s current five-year levy which expires this year and will increase local tax rates by $0.11 per month for each $1,000 taxable assessed value.

The current tax rate is $0.33 per month for each $1,000 of taxable assessed value, the lavy would increase it to $0.44 per month.

The district estimated the cost per month for someone with a $180,000 home and a homeowner’s tax exemption, would go up by $0.97 per month due to the plant facility levy.

With current tax rates, the same homeowner is paying $2.45 per month, but that would go up to $3.43 per month with the proposed plant facility levy.

“I know we asked for an increase [in tax rates], so I understand there’s hesitation,” Meyer said, “but this is a testament to how strong our district is.”

Meyer said she was being bombarded with emails and text messages Tuesday night from her staff saying how grateful they were for the community’s support.

“I am so in love with this district,” she said.