De-Bunking The Cd’A Press: Anti-Levy Fliers Aren’t “Un-American” or “Bogus”
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On March 2, 2023, the Coeur d’Alene Press ran the story: School officials: Anti-levy efforts are ‘bogus,’ ‘un-American’
As an interested and informed voter in CDA School District #271, I saw some glaring issues with this piece and felt these issues shouldn’t go unanswered. So, let’s take a look at the claims made by District Superintendent Shon Hocker and CDA School Board Vice Chair Casey Morrisroe. Hocker and Morrisroe have taken issue with a flyer meant to oppose the proposed (and contentious) school levies which voters will decide upon on March 14th. Hocker and Morrisroe claim that these materials are misleading. According to the Press, “The school district officials’ statement notes these materials misrepresent the purpose of the proposed school funding levies and blatantly distort the property tax impact if the levies are approved.”
Claim #1:
According to the Press, “The flyers make the assumption that a home with an assessed value of $500,000 in 2021 will double to $1 million in 2023 and project a 300% property tax increase. While property value assessments did increase dramatically in 2022, it’s unlikely they went up by 50% for most people.”
First, the flyer does NOT make a definitive statement that home values will double in two years. The flyer merely uses the EXAMPLE whereby a home’s value doubles in two years. My guess is that the creator of the flyer used $500,000 and $1,000,000 as round numbers for simplicity’s sake in order to make the example easy to understand. The truth is, we all know that property value in Coeur D Alene has risen and, as a result, homeowners saw big impacts on property taxes in the last couple of years. Running some quick numbers, on a randomly chosen property located in CDA School District 271, assessed value rose from $505,990 in 2020 to $906,873 in 2022. So, while the assessed value didn’t double, it did see a 79% increase in property value and a 54% increase in property taxes. While it’s true property values in all cases may not have doubled in two years, this example was pretty darned close. And, remember, the $25 million supplemental levy is an IN PERPETUITY levy, so even if it took 3 or 4 years for this property value to double, the impact would ultimately be the same.
Next, the Press claims that the opposition flyer projects a “300% property tax increase.” I’m not sure if the Press was doing a little fear mongering of their own or simply couldn’t understand the flyer (or both), but the flyer clearly states that the example given would result in a “300% increase” in school levy taxes, NOT property taxes. So, using the example on the flyer, it is clear that the math is correct. If a property doubled in value, there would indeed be a 300% increase in the school levy tax burden. As a discerning voter, I’m aware that the example given on the flyer was an example and that there will likely be a spectrum when it comes to the impact of these levies. The fact remains, however, that there will be a significant impact to homeowners if these levies pass.
Claim #2:
The Press wrote, “The materials say supplemental levy money is on top of the $330 million Gov. Brad Little has earmarked for school districts and teacher salaries. However, the Coeur d’Alene School Board has a resolution in place to allow trustees to vote to levy less funds when the state steps in with more funding, so the full $25 million may not even be necessary each year.”
Proponents of the levy want us to believe that the flyer is misleading when it claims that the supplemental levy is above and beyond the $330 million that Little has earmarked for schools. Yet, it is clear from the Press article’s own words that this is true! If it wasn’t in addition to the earmarked funds, then why would the Board feel the need to author a resolution claiming that they won’t use all of the levy money in the event that more money comes from the state?
And, what about this supposed resolution where the School Board promises to vote to use less money in the event that the state ponies up more cash? Well, I did a little digging and it turns out, there is no resolution drafted. This screenshot shows all resolutions from the 22-23 school year and you can see that no such levy exists.
At the January 9th, 2023 School Board meeting, a resolution was discussed, but nothing had been drafted.
At a January 24th School Board Workshop, the resolution was discussed again:
Still, to date, no actual resolution has been drafted or shared on the School Board’s public website. Either way, it’s important to note that Resolutions are more like feel good statements or intentions; they are not legally binding. Morrisroe may have passed a motion indicating that the School Board would, in good faith, “consider the levy amount” if the District received additional state funds, but this motion has no teeth and no real impact. More likely, Morrisroe brought this motion after public outcry regarding a levy that would last forever.
So, is the flyer misleading? Or is the Coeur d’Alene Press?
In good faith, since we don’t yet know how the $330 million from the state will be distributed, why not forgo this Forever Levy, stick with the $20 million levy every 2 years, save some money for the taxpayers and wait and see what happens? Why the need to lock CDA taxpayers into perpetuity without any means for ensuring accountability for the School District? The taxpayers only lever on ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly is through voting; “In perpetuity” removes this lever.
Claim #3:
According to the CDA Press, “The flyers state the safety and maintenance levy is the same one voters rejected in August. This is not true — the levy that failed in August, which received 50.27% of the 55% voter approval necessary to pass, was for $8 million every year for 10 years, not $5 million for five years, which is what will be on the ballot in March.”
You say potato, I say po-tah-toh. The opposition flyer says, “SPFL LEVY is the same levy that the voters REJECTED in August, 2022 but the school district is asking for the money again.” This levy was a Safety and Maintenance Levy in August and it’s still a Safety and Maintenance Levy in March. That the District is asking for less money because their first cash grab failed and they think they have a chance at getting voters to approve the reduced terms doesn’t change that.
Claim #4:
The CDA Press article reported, “The flyers use language such as "your new total levy tax will skyrocket" and tell renters to be prepared for rent to increase again to "offset the higher tax burden on your property owner." “We live in a world where inflation is always a thing," Hocker said. "When I was a kid, you could get gasoline and milk for under a buck. Today, it’s not that price. Property taxes go up. Certainly, it's no surprise to think the landlord is going to pass on some of those expenses to the tenant." He said the language used is meant to instill fear and confuse the public.”
Let’s wade through this word salad. Hocker and the Press want us to believe that the opposition flyer is fear mongering and misleading when it states that renters should “be prepared to have it go up again to offset the higher tax burden on your property owner.” Yet, Superintendent Hocker himself says rent going up is certainly not a surprise when property taxes go up. So, in complete alignment with the opposition flyer, Hocker admits that renters should be prepared for rent to increase if this levy passes. Nothing confusing about that.
Another thing, this Forever Levy has been justified to offset inflation trends. In the past, voters have approved a 2 year supplemental levy for $20 million. Now, they want $25 million forever. That’s a 25% increase to offset what we are told is transitory inflation. I can’t help but wonder what a boss might say if an employee demanded a 25% raise in order to offset inflation! Imagine going further by saying, “Also, this raise is a forever raise and you have no option to review my performance and introduce pay cuts.” Pretty sure that employee would be jobless. Might be something to consider for the next School Board elections. Superintendent Hocker mentions gas and milk for under a buck. It was just 2 1/2 years ago that we were paying under 2 bucks for gas. Prices have skyrocketed and we have all had to tighten things up in order to live within our means. It should be no different for the School District.
I’m not inclined to buy what Hocker, Morrisroe and the CDA Press are selling. It’s one thing to disagree. It’s a whole different thing to characterize the opposition as, “bogus," "disgusting," "unethical" and "un-American." If you can’t promote your argument without resorting to baseless attacks and insults, it doesn’t make your case look very strong. Hocker complained that, “the materials have been found on residential doorsteps and even inserted into coupon books in local grocery stores.” The horror of it all. Imagine organizing at the grassroots level to launch a campaign to oppose a levy and having to get creative because you aren’t chummy with the local “news” outlet. In fact, that grassroots organization and exercise of first amendment rights to oppose the levy might be the most “American” thing about this whole situation.
It seems as though this grassroots, wholly American effort is what has school district officials up in arms. On Monday, February 27th, at the monthly Long Range Planning Committee meeting, the levies were the subject of much discussion. Committee Member, Kari Peterson, seemed to be anticipating the levies’ failures at the ballot box on March 14th when she asked if they would have time to give it another go for the May election. (Spoiler alert: They will.) Within the next two days, CDA School District issued a press release calling the opposition a “disgusting group” and just one day later, the CDA Press article broke. Seems like they are panicking.
We all care about the kids. We all want what’s best for them and we all want to ensure that they are getting a first rate education. On that we can all agree. Throwing money at the issue without accountability isn’t the answer. Throwing insults at the opposition isn’t a great approach to meeting somewhere in the middle and focusing on solutions. I expect more from our elected officials who are chosen by the people to represent the people.
Stefanie Fetzer — Coeur d’Alene resident
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