by John Dowd
“There are a lot of factors involved. I’m sure all of us would like to pay less taxes,” said Todd Fisk, Superintendent for Florence-Carlton District, responding to the recent election results. After a county-wide election period, where nearly every school in the county posited operational levies, there was a similarly county-wide down-thumb of those levies. Not a single one passed and the lowest percentage of any was 60% against. Fisk, among others, expressed his disappointment. “It’s evident that things are tight,” added Fisk, speaking to the apparent financial situation of Ravalli County residents, and the nation as a whole.
With funding from programs enacted to aid schools during the COVID-19 pandemic waning and timing out, schools across the county and the country are reaching out to their communities to aid in the funding of their basic operations. Fisk explained that there is now a disparity in funding due to the increase costs from inflation, and so schools are stretched thin. According to him, schools generally have access to three pots of money that allow them the funding to run. These include federal, state and local funding sources, and with neither of the prior two cutting it anymore, the last is the one they need to ask for.
As inflation occurs, schools need to keep up with raises for staff, which will be hit the most by the failure to pass the levies. According to Fisk, “Unfortunately, we are a people-driven entity.” He explained that there are things they cannot switch off, like heat, electricity, etc. The place cuts are going to come down to, he said, is the staff. He also imparted that staffing can be nearly 85% of a school’s budget, and so cuts there will make the biggest impact on saving. However, he and others explained that this not only increases the staff workload, but negatively impacts the education quality for students.
Another place that will see cuts is curriculum improvements and materials for classroom supplies, according to Fisk. He added that all of these things will likely trickle down to the quality of education students will receive.
Stevensville School District, the only district not to run a levy, was also concerned about the results of the vote. According to Eric Larson, Stevensville High School Principal, the plan for their schools was to wait until the end of the year with their remaining funding and to tackle the next year once they become more aware of their position regarding things like enrollment.
“I certainly appreciate the vision they are looking at,” said Larson on the decision of the Stevensville District Board. He explained that schools are the “stewards” of any funding they receive from the local community, and have a responsibility to use it wisely. However, he also said that he understands where other districts are coming from in asking for a levy now. He said that many of the county schools, including Stevensville, may inevitably need to come down to staff cuts over the next couple years, in order to combat inflation and to be able to continue to operate.