Lewiston School Board still thinking of local-option tax possibilities

The Idaho School Boards Association executive committee chose not to endorse the measure earlier this month, but board members agreed Monday to push the proposal to help fund school construction at the organization’s state conference Nov. 11-13.

“We’re down the road this far,” Lewiston Superintendent Bob Donaldson said. “If it’s successful, we can see if it gets legs in the Legislature. If not, we can go to our patrons to say we pursued this as far as we could.”

Resolutions approved by the association are given the organization’s backing before the Legislature, an action that would be necessary to put the sales tax option in place. The Nez Perce County Jail was built using a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2004 after the Legislature allowed the local-option sales tax for that project. The tax for the jail ended last year.

When Donaldson asked school board members if it was their sense that they should move forward with their resolution in November, several answered in unison: “Absolutely.”

“I think it’s very important that it’s fully presented,” said board member Dale Yochum.

A construction bond to either build a new high school or renovate the current one could go before Lewiston voters as early as May. The board interviewed construction manager-general contractor candidates last week and is set to choose one next week. Voters rejected bonds for building a new high school in 2010 and 2011.

Last week, Idaho School Boards Association Executive Director Karen Echeverria told attendees at the association’s regional meeting in Lewiston that the executive committee declined to make any recommendation on the sales tax measure.

A similar Lewiston-based resolution was defeated last year when board members introduced it from the conference floor. The item wasn’t evaluated by the executive committee or listed on the conference agenda last year because it was submitted after the association’s deadline.

The Lewiston board forwarded its proposal to the association earlier this year, in hopes of increasing exposure and getting a “do pass” recommendation from the committee. But even without it, board members said Monday there still could be ways to convince other school board members from throughout the state to support the measure.

Board member Brad Cuddy suggested placing calls to those who voted no last year, if they can be identified, to try to answer questions and perhaps turn the vote around.

Donaldson said the Lewiston board could send representatives to other regional meetings around the state to make the case for the resolution in advance of the state conference, too.

“It would be nice to win this one on the floor,” Cuddy said. “I was disappointed to see the no recommendation (from the executive committee).”

Echeverria suggested some executive committee members chose not to support the local-option sales tax idea because they felt a better focus would be on getting Idaho’s two-thirds supermajority for construction bonds lowered.

Another concern, expressed last year, was that smaller communities without the tax base to make a sales tax worthwhile opposed the idea of coming to retail centers such as Lewiston and paying taxes that wouldn’t help them.

Yochum said he was contacted by a legislator last session who told him there was little support for the local-option sales tax in Boise.

“He said it was pretty much a dead horse, year after year,” Yochum said.

“That may be the case,” board President Brad Rice said. “But I think you still have to give it your best shot.”

Also at Monday’s meeting, school calendar committee representative Lisa Fenter presented a recommendation to the board for school to start Aug. 24 for the 2016-17 school year.

The slightly earlier start – school started Sept. 3 this year – would give teachers more time with students before state testing starts in the spring, Fenter said. It also offers strategic timing for spring break.

“This earlier date just kind of sets us up nicely,” Fenter said. “We’ll have finals done before spring break starts.”

Under the proposed schedule, spring break would be March 27-31, 2017.

The board will vote on the schedule Oct. 12.

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 11:26 PM.