Butte voters say 'yes' to high school and elementary levies

Butte voters easily passed two school levies proposed by the Butte School District, according to results as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.

At that time, the vote tally for a 10-year, $3.2 million Technology Levy for Butte High School was 3,580 yes and 2,311 no.

A proposed permanent Elementary District General Fund levy of $175,000 was 3,675 yes and 2,286 no as of 8 p.m.

Clerk and Recorder Cindy Sherman said the count was just about complete at that hour.

Ballots went out last month.

There were no contested school board races. Three incumbents filed for three open seats — Ann Boston, Tom Billteen and Patty Hepola.

As the region and the nation tangle with the reality of data centers and artificial intelligence, technology grows ever more dominant and necessary, and the need for up-to-date systems, equipment and security measures increases, school officials have said.

The Butte School District said it wants to ensure students at Butte High School have the resources they need to learn safely and competitively. School officials said the technology levy is needed to replace aging instructional technology, implement sustainable technology and improve student access to up-to-date technology, including hardware and software, computer network access and more.

According to the district, the estimated tax increase associated with the high school levy for a home with a market value of $100,000 — likely rare these days — would be about $2.65 per year. The estimated increase for a home with a market value of $300,000 would be $7.95 per year.

The ballot for the May 5 election also included the proposed permanent Elementary District General Fund levy of $175,000. The estimated tax increase for a $100,000 home would be about $1.77 and about $5.31 for a home valued at $300,000.

The Elementary District levy allows the district to operate at its maximum budget, and if budget limits went up, the district would have to ask voters to pass another levy to get back to the maximum budget level, district business manager Kevin Patrick said.

The district did not ask voters to approve levies in 2025.