Voters deny Dayton levy by seven votes

Dayton School trustees voted to hold steady Monday night, even after voters in the Upper West Shore School District rejected by seven votes a mill levy that would have raised $61,125 to cover a budget shortfall.

Of the 765 ballots mailed, only 307 made it back to the Lake County Election Office by last Tuesday, June 13, and of those, 157 were cast against the levy to 150 in favor.

Lake County Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Hall noted that 11 ballots arrived a day late, which could have changed the outcome.

She also suspected that some voters were confused by both the language and timing of the ballot measure. Even though the levy was only for one year, the ballot language – stipulated by the State of Montana – described it as “permanent once approved by voters.”

Another factor that may have muddied the waters was Polson’s bond measure, since Dayton falls within the Polson High School district. On May 9, voters approved a $16,645,000 bond issue for the high school, which will impact West Shore taxpayers.

Dayton School, on the other hand, is debt free, having paid off its bond last year, after selling the Rollins Schoolhouse to the Women of Rollins Club.

“We’re caught in a place of confusion,” Hall said. “Because the Polson bond passed, taxes will go up anyway. That’s one of the reasons we paid off our bond because we saw that coming.”

Possibly adding to voters’ bewilderment are efforts by a private nonprofit, the REACH Foundation, to raise $20 million over five years to construct a new elementary school and civic center in Dayton.

The original school was built in 1910 and has been expanded since then, with the most recent addition in 2007. It’s located on land owned by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which the district leases for $1 a year (the current lease expires in 2032 and could be renewed for another 25 years).

A few years ago, when the student population was nearing 80, Hall says parents wanted more teachers and a principal. However, as the staff grew to seven, including four classroom teachers, a special ed instructor, a principal and a librarian/guidance counselor, the number of students waned to 48. And since state funding is tied to enrollment, the district landed in its current plight, with a $33,000 shortfall for the 2022-’23 school year, and an estimated $44,000 deficit on the horizon.

After examining the district’s finances, trustees voted Monday to continue staffing the school at its current level. According to Hall, they are hoping an increase in enrollment could generate more income for the district and increase the budget.

She also noted that rural schools are at a disadvantage when it comes to offering the amenities many parents expect, including a hot lunch, sports programs and a gymnasium. That has led some parents to send their kids south to Polson for elementary school or north to Lakeside.

“Little schools can’t offer everything big schools have, but I feel like they do have their own niche,” she says. “They have a different feel with smaller numbers in the classrooms and a lot of personal touch.”

But when a community, for whatever reason, ceases to support a small rural school and enrollment continues to drop, “sometimes they go by the wayside.”