Kalispell Public Schools will run an elementary general fund levy during school elections May 5 to cover a projected budget shortfall.    

District Business and Finance Director Chris Campbell said the recommendation follows multiple finance committee meetings focused on what the budget may look like next year.   

“And what it looks like is we really have no choice but to essentially run the levy," Campbell said during a school board meeting Tuesday.   

The district anticipates asking voters to approve a $1.6 million elementary general fund levy, or the maximum amount the district can request based on its budget authority. Campbell said the school district will know its maximum budget authority, which is based on enrollment, when the state releases final revenue numbers March 1. The school board can then approve a levy amount at its March 10 meeting.   

A general fund levy covers the day-to-day costs of operating schools, from utilities to textbooks and teacher salaries. The elementary district includes six elementary schools and the middle school.    

If a $1.6 million request ends up on the ballot and is approved, owners of homes valued at $300,000 can anticipate annual taxes to increase by $40.81. Owners of $600,000 homes can expect a $118.14 increase. Once approved, a general fund levy is usually permanent.   

Only Kalispell voters can decide elementary issues on the ballot.   

If the levy passes, the general fund budget for the elementary district will remain tight, but the extra dollars will provide some “breathing room,” Campbell said.   

Campbell reiterated the disparity between per-pupil state funding for elementary students versus high school students. Campbell said the district receives about $1,500 less to spend on an elementary student’s education than a high school student. He said this is compounded by state accreditation standards mandating smaller class sizes at the elementary level, which in turn requires more teachers.   

“So, more salaries and less revenue. It translates ... into a $5 million disparity between the two,” Campbell said.    

Trustees also returned to discussing a desire to move toward establishing a schedule to make regular levy requests to create a more predictable process for taxpayers and schools, rather than waiting years at a time and trying to “catch up” with increasing costs.   

The last general fund levy approved for the elementary district was in 2023 for $354,327.    

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or [email protected].