Voting Discrepancy

Lakeland School District 272 faces financial challenges after the failure of its most recent supplemental levy, which was intended to maintain the district’s current budget. 

The levy lost by a narrow 0.6 percent margin on Nov. 5, leaving district officials scrambling to find solutions to avoid deep cuts to educational programs, extracurricular activities, and staffing.

With 20,726 votes cast, 10,241 supported the levy, while 10,485 opposed it. Within this tight margin is a geographic split between the district’s northern and southern regions.

Community Growth
Lakeland School District is geographically a large district.  At 383.97 square miles, it stretches across rural communities and rapidly growing towns. The district was originally consolidated in 1948 from 15 districts and includes Athol, Hauser, Hayden, Rathdrum and Spirit Lake.

In communities like Rathdrum and Spirit Lake, the population has grown rapidly in recent years, with Rathdrum experiencing a 32.88 percent increase since 2020. Athol and Spirit Lake, though growing more modestly at 4.65 percent and 7.41 percent, have also seen consistent population growth. 

From 2021-2024, there was approximately a five percent increase of students in the district. 

Kyle Deeter, a teacher and coach at Lakeland High School, explained that with the population growth, he believes it is important to emphasize the significance of the levy. 

“I think we need to better communicate the benefits of the levy and show how essential it is to keep the district strong,” Deeter said. “Otherwise, we risk hurting the quality of education for all students.”

The levy’s struggles have only started in the past several years. It failed the first time in 2023 before passing after it was rerun. The levy passed in 2021 by just 60 votes

Before that, it had consistently had strong support. 

In 2019, for example, 61.03 percent of voters supported the levy, in 2017, 65.45 percent of voters were in favor of the levy, and in 2012, 69.81 percent of voters voted yes. 

There has been a steady decline in voter support for the levy, but the failure this year marks a worrying trend for those who support the levy, particularly as the district has grown and the demand for educational services has increased.

A Divided District
When the polling data is broken down, trends appear.

Voting patterns suggest that the smaller, more rural communities leaned against the levy, driven by concerns over tax increases and skepticism about the district’s management of funds.

Athol, with a population of 742 in 2024, has shown less support for the levy compared to Rathdrum (12,343) and Spirit Lake (2,522). 

Voting precincts 202, 203 and 204 had the most “no” votes, representing primarily the communities of Athol and Bayview.  With 61.39 percent in those precincts voting no, that accounts for 28.36 percent of total no votes in the district.

Several community members say the most significant reason for voting no on the levy was to limit the tax burden. 

“Property owners are fed up with the constant pushing of us to pay up,” one community member stated on the popular Facebook group, Rathdrum Community News. Others have echoed similar sentiments.  

Conversely, residents in and near Rathdrum, including voting precincts 306, 308, 305, and 309, had the most “yes” votes. Approximately 58 percent of the population voted in favor of the levy in those voter precincts. 

Because of the split in support for the levy and the large geography of the district, some think that splitting the district could be a solution.

“Splitting the district could lead to a more focused approach to local educational needs, but it also comes with challenges,” Deeter said. “A split could mean more localized funding decisions, but it would also bring about administrative costs and potentially reduce the overall funding available for each new district.”

What’s Next?

If a levy is not passed in the spring, the district will have to make significant budget cuts. 

No official decisions have been made, but school officials will face tough financial decisions. This includes potentially reducing teaching staff and/or salaries, scaling back extracurricular activities, and considering school closures in certain areas. 

According to U.S. News and World Report, Lakeland Senior High School is ranked 32nd in the state, and Timberlake Senior High School ranks 48th in the state, the district will likely face challenges in maintaining these rankings without the necessary funding for resources, staff, and programs.

Many students are worried about how this will impact the quality of their education.

“Even though I am a senior, I have siblings and friends who will be affected by these cuts in the budget,” Timberlake student Diana Nelson said.  “They won’t be able to play sports or participate in normal high school activities. It’s not the student body’s fault things are more expensive but in my opinion, they deserve the same high school experience our parents got.”

Along with quality education, extracurricular opportunities are important to students.

“I think no extracurricular activities and sports is a detrimental idea,” Lakeland student Kennedy Vargas said. “It takes away creativity, and for many students, sports-related scholarships are how they pay for/go to college.”

Cutting the cost of sports and extracurriculars would save money, and although the district wants to avoid removing that opportunity for students entirely, certain measures may need to be taken to reduce costs.

“Unfortunately athletics and extracurricular activities are the easiest place to cut,” said STEM student and Lakeland wrestler Jaren Knopp. “Athletes may have to fundraise to make up the difference, and limiting the number of sports offered may become necessary.”

There has also been discussion of transitioning to a four-day school week.  According to a report compiled by district staff for the Dec. 18 workshop meeting, doing this could save the district over $800,000 in maintenance, bus fees and guest teacher costs. 

This does not include increased revenue from average daily attendance and staff costs. 

Students are also considering switching districts with the levy failure.

“I came to Lakeland for the dance team,” said Lakeland sophomore Lilyann Still. “ With the funding cuts, the dance team may not be here next year. If it’s not, I will probably look at going to a different school.”

A decision on rerunning the levy has not yet been made.