THE 2012 LEVY AND AVERAGE CLASS SIZE

On March 13, 2012, the Boise District went to the voters with a levy proposal. The levy proposal was for an authorization of $14 million a year for 5 years, or an overall cost of $70 million. The first line of the levy proposal laid out the primary intent of the measure: "For the purpose of maintaining low class sizes..."

The levy passed with almost 71% voter approval, and the District went forward with the authorization confirmed. So what has happened since then?

Class Size Since 2011-12

The moneys provided with passage of the levy were intended to maintain class size in the face of reduced state and local funding. District officials indicated that class sizes would increase significantly and that staffing reductions would be necessary if the levy did not pass.

Going forward from 2011-12, with use of the levy funding, average class sizes actually declined in the Boise District.

Elementary average class size is .6 smaller than it was in 2011-12.

Though it may not seem like a huge decrease, the research on class size indicates that any reduction is important. From "7 Myths about Class Size" on the Class Size Matters website:

"Researchers have found that there is no particular threshold that must be reached before students receive benefits from smaller classes, and any reduction in class size increases the probability that students will be on-task and positively engaged in learning. In fact, Alan Krueger of Princeton University analyzed the STAR results for students who were in the “larger” classes and found that within this range (22-25), the smaller the class, the better the outcome."

Average secondary class size also decreased between 2011-12 and 2015-16, and by a larger factor than the decrease at elementary. The secondary figures do not include Self-contained Special Ed classes or Limited English groups, or the average size would be smaller.

Authorization vs. Utilization

Passage of the levy authorized $14 million over 5 years. However, as the economy improved and local property tax revenues increased, the District decreased the amount certified on the levy. In fact, the District never did certify the full amount authorized by passage of the levy, and has reduced the amount during the tenure of the levy.

Though the levy authorization gave the District spending authority for $70 million in 5 years, actual expenditures through the 2016-17 school year will have been $37.5 million.

The levy ends after the 2016-17 school year. We are extremely grateful to our patrons for their support as the District went through a rough patch with ongoing funding. Thank you!