The Nampa School District hopes the second time will be the charm. In August the district will ask voters for more money even though a previous attempt failed earlier this year.
This time Nampa schools are asking voters for $1.6 million. Compare that to the $3.58 million request Nampa voters rejected in March. The district thinks that smaller number will be easier to swallow.
Nampa is also taking hope from districts like Meridian, Middleton, and others that have recently had levies rejected, then approved a few months later. Allison Westfall with the Nampa School District says they’ve learned lessons from those successful campaigns, like how to get the message out to voters. Still, Westfall acknowledges, two and a half months is not much time.
“I think if the election were today, there’s probably not enough time," Westfall says. "But with it coming up on the 28th [of August,] kids will be in school for a few weeks, and there’ll be that opportunity for parents to learn more and for the community to learn more.”
If the August levy is successful it will be used for maintenance and supplies as well as to buy a new reading curriculum for the elementary schools. Nampa has a $1.6 million levy in place now, but it expires this month.