Lolo-area trustees ask voters to close roughly $99,000 funding gap; Woodman reports enrollment gains

Lolo School trustees told the Lolo Community Council that the district has placed an operational general fund levy on the ballot to close an estimated shortfall of about $99,312. Trustee Ryan Ludy said the state provides just under 75% of the district’s general fund and the levy is intended to sustain, not expand, current operations.

"The board unanimously decided to ask for the 2% gap between what's provided locally and by the state," Ludy said, adding the shortfall equates to "about $3 a month for the median-priced home" in the district. He urged residents to return ballots to the county elections office by May 5.

Trustee Lori Gay framed the levy as a modest ask to preserve programs and staff. "At the end of the day, what it comes down to is it's for the kids," Gay said, calling the levy "about sustainability" rather than growth.

Dale, a school representative who briefed the council on local school activities, outlined spring programming and travel: track and field with roughly 70 middle-school participants, a PTSA book fair, a May 15 PTSA carnival open to the community, and a Close Up Washington, D.C., trip with 24 students scheduled for early May.

Separately, Woodman School reported a county grant to replace soccer goals damaged in a windstorm and said enrollment rose to 53 students, up about 20 from the prior year. John, representing Woodman School, said preschool programs have grown substantially and that a federal- and state-supported literacy grant funds the three-year-old preschool program.

The trustees and school representatives encouraged community participation: trustees described the ballot-return process (sealed secrecy envelope, sign-and-date, return by May 5) and school leaders promoted upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. No formal action on the levy was taken by the community council; the council served as a forum for information and local outreach.

The schools’ presentations highlighted both short-term needs—the levy to plug an operational funding gap—and ongoing community supports such as the literacy grant and strong volunteer engagement that leaders said help sustain programming.