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I received a colorful red-and-yellow flier in the mail today from an unidentified person or group opposed to the school facilities levy, and it is full of untruths.

Here are the facts: The proposed levy is not larger than all of the state school districts combined. The $53 million they are comparing the LPOSD levy to is one year’s facility levy dollars collected statewide for the 2015-16 school year. There was another $140 million collected last year for facilities bonds. Here’s the website from the state department: www.sde.idaho.gov/finance/files/tax-levy/schools/FY2016-Tax-Levies.pdf.

The LPOSD levy would be $9.16 million per year, for a truer comparison. Bear in mind that school districts don’t all build new schools at the same time and pay for them in one year, so a one-year comparison isn’t relevant. Also, the levy, if passed, will not double our property tax. as the flier states. The school amount may double, and would amount to an increased percentage of our total property tax, which also includes the county, the library, fire districts, solid waste, etc., but it would not double the total tax.

Last, Kootenai Elementary School is completed, and it was finished under budget and six months early.

Each voter will decide for himself or herself on the levy question, but we owe it to each other to at least have a factual discussion about it. The whole truth may not fit on a flier or a postcard, but it’s quite another thing to deliberately spread falsehoods.

TODD RILEY

Sandpoint