Middleton voters say no to $3 million school levy

Middleton School District voters rejected a $3 million supplemental levy on Tuesday. The final count showed 52% of voters against the proposal and 48% in favor.

The measure required a simple majority of votes cast to pass. It would have generated $1.5 million annually for a two-year period. The cost to taxpayers would have been an estimated $30 per year for every $100,000 of taxable assessed property value.

This follows a similar defeat in May. Voters then narrowly rejected a larger $1.9 million levy request. District leaders said the new proposal was designed to address the staffing and service cuts that resulted from the spring loss.

Superintendent Marc Gee told Idaho News 6 that the district reduced operations after the May election. He stated the new proposal aimed to restore some of those lost services at a lower cost than the previous attempt.

The rejected funding was earmarked for specific operational needs. These included armed security guards at elementary schools and an additional school resource officer. The budget also covered curriculum materials and transportation for some athletic events.