FAQs
What is a BOND Versus a LEVY?
Whitefish voters may remember that they (we) just voted (May 2024) to approve an $108,337 permanent, operational LEVY. This money will support additional staff, needed by a growing student body, as well as help fund existing staff salary increases. The May levy added $5.88 a year in property taxes on a home with a tax-assessed value of $600,000. LEVY - "L" is for "Learning." They are used to fund school programs and operations that are not covered by state funding such as technology upgrades, teacher and staff salaries to meet the needs of a growing student body, learning materials, etc.
The upcoming BOND request is to fund new construction and infrastructure renovation. One way to think of this is that “B” – Bond– stands for “Building”. The last high school bond, approved in 2012, funded the current high school building which included both expansion of the then-existing structure and significant improvements throughout such as overhauling electrical, HVAC, etc. This bond passed after two earlier bonds that were rejected.
Why Is An Academic Building Expansion Needed Now?
Whitefish High School is currently operating beyond its original design capacity of 600 students. The enrollment for 2023-24 school year was 637 students and the Whitefish School District estimates high school enrollment at an average 2% annual growth. The high school average growth from 2014 to 2024 is actually almost 3% (2.74%) and continues to grow according to this trend.
What Will the Academic Expansion Provide & How Will it Help Students Prepare for Life After High School?
The academic expansion will provide additional classrooms, science labs and career and technical education (CTE) classrooms. It will allow for important revisions to existing spaces such as culinary arts, the Independent High School and allow the High School to offer new CTE classes. At present, some in-demand CTE classes can only be offered once every couple of semesters due to space limitations and there are frequent waitlists.
Whitefish High School continues to expand its Advanced Placement and STEM courses, helping propel it to a ranking of #2 of 171 high schools in Montana (US News & World Report, April 2024). College curriculum breadth is an important component of US News & World report’s ranking (along with college readiness, graduation rates and assessment scores). As enrollment increases, the High School’s ability to offer these additional classes will be compromised without additional classroom and lab space.
How Does the Expansion Improve Student Safety?
This expansion will improve student security by consolidating spaces and eliminating travel to the Annex (the old Muldown), provide more cafeteria and dining space for a larger student body, and expand a multi-purpose area in the gym for use by clubs and sports. Currently students have a 5+ minute walk to a separate school district building for languages.
Why Are Football and Track/Field Prioritized in the Athletic Bond?
Football and Track and Field are the most urgently needed because the current facilities are unsustainable/unsafe and there are no alternatives.
The football field is not owned by the school (it is leased from the Glacier Twins). It has many existing problems due to age and general wear and tear. Maintaining it is both increasingly expensive and risky from a health and safety perspective.
The track is over 30 years old, has outlived its lifespan and needs to be rebuilt. Only 8 of 10 lanes can currently be used. There is no internet or wiring for modern scoring systems. As a result of its current degradation, many Class A track and field events can no longer be held at Whitefish facilities.
Voters rejected - by less than 160 votes - a September 2023 bond that would have provided larger facilities with space for additional sports such as soccer. The feedback gathered by the district was that the public wanted to scale back the athletic facilities. The current plan is reduced per this feedback.
Funding the track and football field would be a first time investment in outdoor athletic facilities for Whitefish High School. There is allocated space to add additional sports facilities in the future as needed.
How Does The Community Benefit From a New Athletic Facility?
Investing in sports infrastructure increases community engagement and participation, especially in rural areas and smaller cities, like Whitefish, where high school sports are often at the center of their communities.
Investing in high school athletic facilities can actually increase school budgets: Athletic facility investment boosts high school enrollment, thereby increasing school district funding overall. Moreover, modern, energy-efficient facilities save school districts operating dollars in terms of reduced maintenance and energy costs! This article explains more.
Playing high school sports has lifetime benefits and being part of a team creates a greater sense of community in adults. For more information, read here.
High school athletes learn valuable workplace and college readiness skills through sports participation, like the importance of persistence, patience and practice.
Participating in high school sports builds resilience and improves students’ mental health. According to studies compiled by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, high school athletes are less likely than non-athletes to experience anxiety and depression as adults.
They are also more likely to have higher levels of self-esteem, and go on to both graduate from high school and go to college at higher rates than their non-athlete peers.
Finally, athletic facilities, which are often more accessible to and visible by residents than the schools themselves, are a highly visible representation of a community’s investment in its schools: good schools help community property values and attract business investment.
How Much Will the Bonds Cost?
There are two bonds - one for the proposed academic expansion ($26.5M) and one for the proposed athletic facility investment ($6.1M). Voters can pass either one, both, or neither.
The academic bond will cost voters as follows (for an assessed property value of $600,000): $88.04/year.
The athletic bond will cost voters (same assessed value): $26.33/year.
If both are approved, the increase in property taxes (home and commercial), for an assessed value of $600,000, will be $114.37/year.
*Please remember that property assessment, for tax purposes, is not the same as a home’s market value for resale purposes.
What if the Bond(s) Doesn’t Pass Again?
If these bonds do not pass, there will still be a need for expanded academic facilities to accommodate the growing student population that has already exceeded the current building capacity and an athletic complex that is adequate and safe.
The current bonds are crafted in response to voter feedback based on the failure to pass a more comprehensive bond last fall. They may not encompass every item voters want to see included. Conversely, some voters may prefer a proposal that is scaled back even further.
It is important to note that these bonds have been thoughtfully conceived to reflect voter feedback and concerns while addressing the high school’s needs. One may prefer other sports to a track and football but these are the most immediate needs. We don't have appropriate athletic venues at this time and we have to start somewhere. Or, one may feel the school doesn’t really need more cooking or welding classes, but it does not change the fact that the school is overcapacity.
If these bonds do not pass, further reduced bonds will likely result in hopes of meeting the most basic needs, but that is how we got here in the first place. Had we passed a more comprehensive bond in 2010, we would likely not be proposing a bond now and it surely would have cost less to accomplish the same improvements. We should pass these bonds now so we can begin moving in the right direction to cover the school’s needs for the next 15-20 years.
I Want to Vote! How Does it Work?
Ballots will be mailed to all registered active voters of the Whitefish High School district on August 28, 2024.
The Whitefish High School district includes Olney-Bissell voters, who vote on High School issues, but not for Elementary or Middle School.
Ballots are due no later than 8 pm on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 and can be mailed or dropped off at the Whitefish School District Office.
We advise returning your ballot in person. You can go to the Whitefish School District Office at 600 E 2nd St in Whitefish. The office will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday before the election and from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. You may have someone else drop off your ballot if you are unable to do so yourself.
If you choose to return your ballot by mail, please attach either a 69-cent stamp or a Forever stamp to the return envelope. We recommend returning it no later than September 9th as your vote will not be counted if it arrives after 8:00 pm on September 17, 2024.