Idaho school districts will ask voters to approve more than $307 million in property-tax measures during the November election. None of the measures are bonds.
The total is nearly twice the $159 million placed before voters last fall and exceeds the $183 million requested in May. Consolidated elections following legislative sessions in 2023 and 2024 contributed to the increase.
Idaho school districts can seek additional property-tax funding only in May and November. Sample-ballot tax estimates do not include property-tax relief approved in 2024. That relief must first be applied to bonds, followed by plant-facility levies and supplemental levies.
Plant-facility levies
Five districts are seeking plant-facility levies totaling more than $98 million. These measures commonly require at least 55% voter support.
Highland’s five-year, $375,000 measure would pay for building maintenance, boiler replacement and facility safety improvements. Its estimated tax impact is $31.74 per $100,000 of taxable value, an increase of $10.58.
Moscow’s seven-year measure would raise $65.6 million. The proposal would convert Moscow Middle School into a high school, replace heating and cooling equipment at Lena Whitmore Elementary and renovate the former Russell school building. The estimated impact is $280 per $100,000, and the measure requires 60% approval.
Valley’s five-year, $1.5 million levy would fund school-facility repairs and remodeling. Its estimated impact is $74.81 per $100,000, a decrease of $26.61.
Vallivue’s 10-year, $30 million measure would pay for building updates and maintenance. The estimated impact is $24 per $100,000.
Weiser’s four-year, $1.4 million measure would replace an expiring plant-facility levy. Its estimated impact is $35 per $100,000, an increase of $4.
Supplemental levies
Thirty-one districts are seeking about $208 million through supplemental levies. These levies commonly support staff salaries and benefits beyond state allocations, along with extracurricular activities. They require a simple majority to pass.
American Falls is seeking $5.9 million over two years. The measure would provide $2.68 million annually for staff salaries and benefits, as well as funding for classroom supplies, curriculum, technology and school resource officers. The estimated tax impact is $192 per $100,000, an increase of $13.
Boundary County’s two-year, $4.8 million measure would support staffing, safety and security, maintenance, extracurricular activities, field trips, curricular materials, technology and a school bus. About $1.4 million per year would go toward staff levels. The estimated impact is $93 per $100,000.
Other supplemental-levy requests listed for the November ballot include:
- Buhl: Staff salaries and benefits, transportation, curriculum and supplies.
- Butte County: Staff salaries and benefits, curriculum, maintenance, transportation and interscholastic activities.
- Caldwell: Staff salaries and benefits, activities, athletics, safety, security, transportation, maintenance, behavioral and mental-health support, and accelerated learning programs.
- Camas County: A larger levy for staff salaries, supplies and materials, and a smaller levy for the district’s music program.
Idaho has one of two states requiring a two-thirds supermajority for school-bond passage. No Idaho bond has passed since May 2024, and no bond passed during a November election since 2017, when Teton School District voters approved two bonds.