RATHDRUM, Idaho — The Lakeland School District's supplemental budget levy failed to pass, removing $9.5 million or about 25 percent of the district's overall budget.
On Wednesday night parents and board members met at Timberlake High School to discuss the budget for the 2025-2026 school year.
Lakeland School District Superintendent Lisa Arnold says without the levy the school may have to cut extracurriculars and staff.
"87% of our budget is staff. and so when you're cutting 20 to 25% of your budget and you have that much of your budget as staff, there's no way to avoid cutting staff," said Arnold.
The Wednesday workshop aimed to be a transparent discussion as board members decide on potential cuts to department. Attendees of the workshop say clarity was a factor in why the levy failed to pass.
"We really feel like we need to have a clear view of what will happen if it doesn't pass and if it does pass. That makes it easier as a parent," said Kate McCarthy, a parent in the school district.
Although no official budgeting decisions were made on Wednesday night, Arnold says further workshops will decide whether to run the levy at a lower amount in May 2025.
"They could choose to make some cuts and run the levy at a lesser dollar amount in May. That decision will be made on December 18 at their next workshop meeting," said Arnold. "We would have to have ballot language to the counties by a certain date in March, so you back that up, you're going to have to start a conversation about resolution language in January. So, time is of the essence."
McCarthy says running the levy a second time is the best option.
"The excellence we see in our schools will not stand if we don't rerun a levy," said McCarthy.