School levies pass with strong margins in North Idaho
May 21—Voters approved levies for five North Idaho school districts Tuesday, reversing a trend for some districts that have struggled to pass funding measures in recent years.
In Kootenai County, the Post Falls School District passed a $6 million levy with 62% in favor , Lakeland Joint School District passed a $7.5 million levy with 67% in support, and Plummer-Worley Joint School District passed a $900,000 levy with 59%.
Notably, the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee did not make endorsements for or against the levies as it has in the past.
The Lakeland levy almost didn't make it onto the ballot until a sick school board member called in to a January meeting to break a tie vote. A $9.52 million levy had failed in November.
The Boundary County School District passed a $2.4 million levy with 69% of the vote after another proposal failed in November. A well-organized information campaign and higher turnout helped turn things around, the Bonners Ferry Herald reported.
Voters in the West Bonner School District in Priest River passed a slimmed down levy with 54.5% in favor after two years of failed attempts plunged the district into financial trouble. Voters approved the $2.35 million per-year levy for two years after rejecting a one-year $4.6 million levy last May and a $1.13 million levy in November.
The district closed the junior high this school year, and private donations funded sports and extracurricular activities amid the budget cuts.
West Bonner Superintendent Kim Spacek said the junior high will remain combined with the senior high school, and the levy will cover $614,000 for sports and extracurriculars.
"I think most importantly this is a win for the kids and the community," Spacek said. "We faced some criticism in the last few years, but we are listening."
Spacek, who was hired last summer, said he organized listening sessions in the community to answer questions and build trust. He said the school district has proposed a home learning network as an alternative option for parents, who would control the curriculum. The district plans to partner with Idaho-based distance teaching company Overture Learning and would provide support as needed with two teachers.
"We are going to start slow," Spacek said. "We want to build a quality program."
If the levy had not passed, the district would have had to close two of the three elementary schools and cut staff, Spacek said.
James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
40 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
How China Silences Critics From Afar
United Kingdom-based human rights group Article 19 has released a report on the Chinese government's relentless campaigns to silence dissenting voices beyond China's borders. The report, based on existing research and on recent interviews with 29 members of diaspora communities, details "the myriad tactics and actors involved in China's ongoing transnational repression of protesters around the world." Hong Kongers, Tibetans and others who have fled China out of fear of political persecution have reported being targeted by a sophisticated network said to include Beijing's United Front Work Department, embassy personnel and online influencers. Outspoken opponents of China's human rights record, in particular, have been in the crosshairs, amid Chinese Communist Party (CCP) efforts to stamp out or delegitimize international protest movements, observers say. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with emailed requests for comment. Transnational repression can take the form of digital threats, abduction, forced repatriation and even assassination Article 19 said in its report, released on June 4, the anniversary of China's bloody 1989 crackdown on protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. While such tactics are also employed by governments like Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Beijing is "by far the most prolific perpetrator," the group said, citing Freedom House estimates that millions of Chinese nationals have been targeted in at least 36 countries. "From public acts of physical violence to online intimidation, the targeting of family members-especially against high-profile protest leaders-has a knock-on effect on human rights movements," the report said. In some cases, authorities have gone after the families of prominent dissidents deemed problematic. A recent example of this cited by rights groups centers on Anna Kwok, a U.S.-based activist wanted by the Hong Kong government. In late April, her father and brother were arrested on suspicion of violating the city's National Security Law-a sweeping measure imposed by Beijing following the 2019 pro-democracy protests. "The Chinese government has increased its appalling use of collective punishment against family members of peaceful activists from Hong Kong," Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in May. Michael Caster, head of Article 19's Global China Programme, said in the press release for the report: "The CCP employs its tactics to intimidate people from participating in protests, weakening global support and solidarity for human rights in China and around the world. Transnational repression silences dissent and chills freedom of expression." Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the U.S., told the Washington Post in April: "China firmly opposes the politicization, instrumentalization, or weaponization of human rights issues, as well as foreign interference under the pretext of human rights." With China expected to continue seeking to silence overseas dissidents, Article 19 urged governments to build up their response capacity for suspected cases of transnational repression and improve public awareness. The group also urged tech companies-some accused of complying with Chinese censorship demands-to be more transparent about these communications and to improve digital security and technical support for those targeted. Related Articles Welcome to the Age of Dumb Kissinger | OpinionChina Reacts to Trump's Steel Tariffs HikeNuclear Arms Race Warning as Warheads IncreaseThe 1600: Now Boarding the USS Idiocracy 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
New steel, aluminum tariffs will push construction costs higher
This story was originally published on Construction Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Construction Dive newsletter. New tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum will raise construction costs further, adding to price spikes triggered by an initial 25% tariff on the materials earlier this year, according to a June 3 industry webinar hosted by Skanska USA. President Donald Trump increased steel and aluminum tariffs from 25% to 50% on Wednesday, doubling down on a strategy that has reshaped construction supply chains since his administration took over. Only the United Kingdom is exempt from the hike until July 9, per the U.S.-U.K. Economic Prosperity Deal. The move will inflate material costs across a range of commercial building materials, at a time when many projects stand on shaky financial ground, according to panelists. 'We're still digesting the most recent announcement of the steel and aluminum tariffs doubling,' said Rob Cantando, national director of strategic supply chain at Sweden-based developer and builder Skanska. 'We're going to be working with our supply chain partners to assess that impact over the coming weeks.' In one case study shared by Skanska, the new tariffs could add around $22 million to a $375 million healthcare development. Nearly half of that jump is tied to derivative components that embed steel or aluminum in their assemblies, according to Skanska. Panelists added these cost increases could even jump as high as 8%. But other categories are showing resistance to price swings, said Cantando. Several manufacturers that announced price hikes earlier in the year, particularly of drywall, lumber and steel studs, have since scaled back further increases. 'Many of those markets that shot up early when the first round of tariffs were announced are giving back some of those gains as these new tariff policy changes are accounted for. In addition, manufacturers and suppliers are taking action to remain competitive,' said Cantando. 'Many of them are shifting sourcing and materials to minimize the impact of tariffs. In some cases, tariffs are being partially absorbed by the supply chain.' The result is an unpredictable pricing climate. For now, structural steel escalation is hovering around 5% to 8%, but that could rise quickly, said Cantando. Coil-based steel products, including hollow structural sections and bar grating, have already surged by as much as 50% since January. Midwest aluminum premiums jumped 54% following Trump's announcement last week of the new tariffs, he added. To stay ahead of volatility, suppliers have been reworking logistics. Kawneer, a Norcross, Georgia-based manufacturer of commercial construction products, has begun rerouting cross-border contracts and adjusting production footprints across North America to avoid tariff exposure, said Sarah Andreasen, director of North American sales at Kawneer. Kawneer's architectural aluminum product range includes windows, doors, framing systems, curtain wall systems and railings. The firm's products are used on nonresidential buildings such as stadiums, offices, schools, retail and healthcare construction, according to the company. 'For us, it's been all about rediverting our supply chain,' said Andreasen. 'We have had to do a lot of work, set up production capability in different plants so that we can mitigate those types of transactions from tariffs.' On the steel side, firms such as SteelFab, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based structural steel fabricator, are working directly with owners and general contractors to create bundled purchasing agreements, said Chris Gregory, executive vice president at SteelFab. Gregory recommended locking in pricing across multiple upcoming projects by combining expected orders into a single package. 'Package projects together. Say 'It's not just 1,000 tons we're buying, we'd like 15,000 tons. What kind of deal can you structure for us to lock in price and help us with the schedule?'' said Gregory. 'That has saved a tremendous amount of money this first quarter that goes directly to the owners.' However, risks still remain, said panelists. In certain cases, tariff impacts won't appear on an invoice at all, said Cantando. For instance, if the cost of a component rises due to reshuffled sourcing or overseas market constraints, there's rarely a clean paper trail. 'A component costs $100 but because of tariffs, it now costs $150. My supply chain team quickly gets to work to try to find an alternate source. Let's say they find a source that's $125,' said Cantando. 'You can argue that the $25 increase was a result of tariffs. But you're not going to have a document that shows that because there's no tariff that's applied to it.' Tariffs' impacts are further complicated by shifting domestic capacity. While U.S. steel mills are currently running below peak capability, at around 75%, certain segments have already seen stretched lead times, said Gregory. Aluminum smelting capacity, idled in recent years, will also be harder to ramp back up, said Andreasen. 'I do think it's something that we're going to have to watch pretty carefully,' said Andreasen. 'I think that's a challenge that we'll continue to watch on the horizon.' In the meantime, executives should continue to develop contingency planning and contract strategies. Panelists during the session advised clients to revisit contracts to help mitigate risk. 'You might want to consider establishing unit pricing, or index-based pricing, for products where the supply chain is suggesting that firm fixed pricing won't reflect future tariff policies,' said Sarah Vakili, senior director of business planning and strategy at Skanska. 'Of course, stay informed and be willing to adapt.' Recommended Reading Construction costs dip, but tariffs hike some materials' prices
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Palantir CEO Karp says AI is dangerous and 'either we win or China will win'
Palantir CEO Alex Karp said the artificial intelligence arms race between the U.S. and China will culminate in one country coming out on top. "My general bias on AI is it is dangerous," Karp told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Thursday. "There are positive and negative consequences, and either we win or China will win." Karp has been a vocal advocate for U.S AI dominance. He told CNBC in January that the country needs to "run harder, run faster" in an "all-country effort" to develop more advanced AI models. In a recent letter to shareholders, he also touted Palantir's commitment to equipping and enhancing U.S. defense interests. The billionaire tech CEO said Thursday that the U.S. currently has a leg up in the AI race and Palantir is leading the way in making companies more secure and efficient with its tools. "There is no economy in the world with this kind of corporate leadership which is willing to pivot, which understands technologies, which is willing to look at new things, but also has deep domain expertise," he said. "Our allies in the West, in Europe, are going to have to learn from us." Shares of the Denver-based data analytics and AI software firm outperformed in 2024 and have continued their ascent in 2025 as investors bet on their software and work with key government contractors and agencies. The stock is up 74% this year, but investors have to shell out on a higher earnings multiple than its tech peers. "You don't like the price, exit," Karp said on Thursday in response. Karp also asserted that the company is "not surveilling Americans" in response to recent New York Times report that Palantir is helping the Trump administration gather data on Americans.
