COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Last night, the Coeur d'Alene School Board held a special meeting to discuss the levy.
At that meeting, tensions were high. Teachers questioned their job security. Tax payers criticized the district for a lack of transparency in how the money would be used.
Tuesday afternoon, KREM 2 sat down with superintendent Dr. Shon Hocker to ask about impacts of the levy failing and potential next steps.
“We got to do double planning," Hocker said. "We have to plan as if we don't have a budget, that $20 million next year. So, we are in the process of working through those budget cuts. We have obviously reduction in force, procedures and practices to implement. So, as you can imagine, it's incredibly difficult to have conversations with over 300 employees that they likely won't have a position if the levy does not pass."
Dr. Hocker says in addition to jobs on the line, extracurriculars would also have to be reconsidered.
Right now, he says the district spends $1.5 million on activities like band and sports.
If the levy fails, he says the school would lose 25% of its operating budget.
Ahead of the May 16th vote, Dr.. Stocker says the levy is asking median priced homes to pay an extra $6.50 a month.
Tax payers opposed to the levy and have said they have concerns about how the district is managing its budget.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.