Growth and taxes: Today’s school levy roundup

(UPDATED, 5:15 p.m., with information from Boise School District.)

One school district will collect additional property taxes to accommodate growth.

Two other districts will not.

And yet a third is taking a little more time to mull over the question.

Here’s the latest:

In Eastern Idaho’s Jefferson Joint School District, trustees approved a $549,958 emergency levy. Enrollment is up by a little more than 200 students, Superintendent Lisa Sherick said, and this comes on the heels of similar growth in 2014-15, which pushed enrollment to 5,241.

Enrollment is up by about 100 students in the Jerome School District, qualifying the Magic Valley district for a $436,000 levy. But the district decided against collecting it, the Twin Falls Times-News reported.

The district is expecting 3 percent enrollment growth annually for the next four years. Its 2014-15 enrollment was 3,752.

Jerome isn’t alone in turning down an emergency levy. The Boise School District could collect a levy, based on an enrollment increase of about 450. But trustees will not collect a levy, district spokesman Dan Hollar said Friday.

In the Nampa School District, trustees will discuss an emergency levy. Friday is the deadline for districts to set emergency levies, but Nampa sought and received an extension from county officials, district spokeswoman Allison Westfall said Friday.

A possible emergency levy is not to be confused with the two-year, $15.56 million supplemental levy that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. Unlike supplemental levies, emergency levies are supposed to address increased enrollment, and do not require voter approval.

Click here to learn more about Nampa’s supplemental levy, and emergency levies in West Ada, Twin Falls, Buhl and Kimberly.

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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