Emmett school board approves $2.3 million levy language, highlights special‑education funding shortfall

The Emmett Independent District board voted to approve ballot language for a proposed two‑year supplemental levy of $2.3 million and instructed district staff to include a limit so the tax increase would not exceed $12 per $100,000 of taxable value after state offsets.

The levy proposal presented by administration would allocate about $300,000 a year for K–5 behavioral support personnel, roughly $700,000 for custodial services and routine maintenance (the approximate cost of the ABM contract), a supplemental curriculum and supplies pool (estimated at about $500 per instructional staff position managed at the building level), funds to increase nursing from 2.5 FTE to 3.0 FTE, and roughly $1 million of maintenance items eligible under House Bill 292. The ballot must show the statutory taxable impact (about $72.3 per $100,000), but the board directed staff to include language committing the district to limit the supplemental levy’s net impact to no more than $12 per $100,000 after HB 292 offsets.

Why it matters: Board and administration framed the levy as a response to growing operating pressures and to restore or preserve services not fully covered by the state. Superintendent Craig said the Legislature’s budget outlook left K‑12 base funding largely unchanged for fiscal 2027 and noted the district was planning for modest inflationary cost increases; district staff stressed the levy is intended to stabilize operations and add behavioral supports that could increase instructional time.

Special education funding: A lengthy discussion focused on special‑education costs. Administration reported the state is collectively short on special‑education funding and that the district carries substantial offsets; staff stated a statewide shortfall of roughly $100 million and described the district’s special‑education expenses at around $2.5 million. The district’s child‑count snapshot and active IEP counts differed (snapshot ~365; active IEPs ~380), and administrators said those dynamics, together with federally mandated services such as specially designed transportation, drive considerable local expense. Staff described Medicaid billing and other offsets but emphasized that local funding pressures persist.

Community input and survey: The board reviewed a community survey of levy support. Amanda, who administered the survey, reported a large number of duplicate or clustered responses that required manual review; after removing likely duplicates she estimated roughly 170 credible responses and said yes responses were not clearly overwhelmed by nos, but cautioned the survey sample was not a statistically representative community poll.

Next steps and vote: The board approved the levy language by voice vote with the directive to limit the net tax increase to $12 per $100,000. Administration said the levy would appear on the May ballot as drafted if the board’s direction stands. The board also discussed outreach and a fact sheet for community education and asked legal staff to confirm what can be said publicly about net impacts on taxes.

What’s next: If the board proceeds, the ballot will show the required statutory taxable‑value figure and the board will continue public education and outreach about levy uses and projected impacts.