The $1.4-million School District 101 Maintenance and Operations levy fell by a margin of 158 votes today with 2,128 voters going to the polls, with 1,143 voting no to 985 voting yes.

Only three of seven precincts supported the levy. Voters in the Valley View precinct favored the measure 197 yes to 143 no, North Bonners Ferry 228 to 181, and Naples 169 to 144. Bonners Ferry precinct voters voted 60 no to 47 yes, it fell in Copeland precinct 149 to 65, in Kootenai 115 to 110 and in Moyie Springs, which lost its elementary school last year, 351 to 169.

According to Superintendent Dr. Don Bartling, the board will be meeting as early as next week to determine where to go following the loss. Under Idaho law, they could run the levy again May 17 for the same or a lesser amount.

"It's going to be up to the board," Dr. Bartling said after seeing the final results. "They could choose to re-run it and try to do more to educate the public. If not, there will have to be drastic cuts, and the board will have to determine where those cuts will be."

Most likely first to go will be extracurricular activities, including Badger athletics. No music, drama or choir. No Foreign Language Society, National Honor Society, business club, pep club, student council, yearbook staff, cheerleading or dance. No class plays or drill team. No student council.

"We lost $850,000 in state funding last year and around $550,000 the year before that," Dr. Bartling said. "Teachers haven't had a raise in two years, and in fact they're making less this year than they did last year. We'll have fewer teachers next year."

Had it passed, a property owner with an assessed value of $100,000 would have paid $81 per year, up from the $50 a year they're currently paying on the M&O levy set to expire.

Responses to the levy results on the News Bonners Ferry facebook page were in the main shocked at the news.

"As you know, I grew up in Boundary County, graduated from BFHS, left to continue my education in Washington, worked at the corporate level, did my time and moved back to Boundary County to have and raise a family cuz it was great," wrote Lori Plato. "Now I question, what have I done to our daughter's future?  It is really sad that people won't support our children's education. In a few years the community will be complaining that our schools are not producing "educated future leaders". Duh! I wonder why."

"Scary future for Bonners Ferry," wrote Brett Brown. "I pay more for garbage than for schools. Pretty sad!"

I was born in bf and thought it was a great community to raise my family but now with all this I'm doubting it," Deanna Allured wrote. "I think I may be moving this summer."