D93 gets emergency levy to help with growth

The Bonneville School District will collect more than $600,000 this year through an emergency levy.

This type of levy is meant to help with growth, but the district’s enrollment is down from last year.

So how did the school district get this levy? Well, this type of funding isn’t based on enrollment, it’s based on attendance. If a district’s average daily attendance increases from one year to the next, that district can get an emergency levy.

But how can attendance be up if enrollment is down? Last year, the district provided an online curriculum to home schooled students. Those students were counted in the district’s enrollment. The district did not continue that online program this year resulting in a drop in enrollment.

“Since they have left our district, then that’s why you’re seeing that drop in those November numbers. When you look at our brick-and-mortar students, we actually saw an increase of over 300 hundred in our brick-and-mortar, but it wasn’t enough to show an increased enrollment as of that November date,” said the district’s business manager April Burton.

Burton said taxes will not go up.

Emergency levies do not require voter approval. It’s up to the school board.