4 September 2016

School lawn sign was produced by school district

Kalispell’s School District 5 wants voters to know there’s a special school bond election on 4 October (on 19 September, ballots will be mailed to voters). That’s why these signs, prepared by the school district using donated money (no tax dollars), are popping up around Kalispell. The signs lack a “paid for” disclaimer and contact information, which is legal but leaves the public wondering whether something nefarious is afoot.

The district wants voters to approve $22.3 million for a new elementary school and improvements to existing structures, and $28.8 million for the high school system, $19.3 million going to way past its prime, 106-year-old, Flathead High School, according to the district’s official cost breakdowns.

At this point, I’m leaning toward voting for the elementary bond, and against the high school bond. I’ll explain why next week.

Information on the bonds that’s available on the district’s website, has answered some of my questions, but not all. The Facility Bond General Information one-pager, for example, contains a column graph, “Kalispell District Enrollment ANB Fall Counts 1993-2015,” that distorts the rate of enrollment increase and fails to state whether the graph applies to elementary or high school students or both.

Holding the election on 4 October instead of placing the issues on the 8 November general election ballot puts the question to the voters before property tax notices are mailed out, and increases the likelihood that organized entities with a vested interest in a “yes” vote — teachers, public employees, sports boosters — may have a disproportionate turnout, thus increasing the probability the bonds will pass.