Idaho School Districts Seek More Than $183 Million in May 2026 Ballot Measures

Districts Across Idaho Bring Funding Requests to Voters This May

Idaho school districts are asking voters to approve more than $183 million in bonds and levies on May 2026 ballots, according to a statewide review of county election filings compiled by Idaho Education News. The requests span a wide range, from a $57 million bond in the Kimberly School District to construct a performing arts center to a $200,000 supplemental levy in Mackay covering athletics and building utilities over two years.

A Significant Increase Over Recent Election Cycles

The May 2026 total represents a dramatic increase compared to recent ballot cycles. Voters considered approximately $75 million in school funding measures in May 2025 — meaning this year’s asks are more than double that figure. The May 2026 total also exceeds the $159 million in measures that appeared on November ballots, making it the largest school ballot measure cycle in recent memory by that measure.

The concentration of requests in the May cycle reflects a structural change in Idaho election law. The legislature reduced the number of available election dates for school districts from four to two during the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions, leaving only May and November as options for districts seeking supplemental funding through property taxes.

Bonds and the Supermajority Hurdle

Two districts are seeking bond measures this May, with a combined total of $61.6 million. Bonds in Idaho face an especially high threshold: the state is one of only two in the nation requiring a supermajority of 66.7%, or two-thirds, of voters to approve a bond measure.

That threshold has proven difficult to clear in recent years. According to Idaho Education News, no bond has passed in Idaho since May 2024, underscoring the challenge districts face even when they bring infrastructure needs to voters with broad community support.

Property Tax Relief Adds Complexity to Estimated Costs

Voters reviewing sample ballots will encounter estimated tax burden figures, but those estimates carry an important caveat. Property tax relief funds passed by the legislature in 2024 are required to be applied to existing tax measures before voters bear the full cost — first to bonds, then to plant facility levies, and finally to supplemental levies. If a district has no active tax measures, those funds are directed into an account designated for facility projects.

Because the amount of property tax relief each district receives varies from year to year, the estimated tax rates listed on sample ballots represent the highest possible tax amount for any given measure — not necessarily what taxpayers will ultimately pay.

What’s at Stake in Idaho Education Funding

The scale of May’s ballot measures reflects ongoing pressure on Idaho school districts to supplement state funding through local property taxes. Bonds and levies serve as the primary mechanism for districts to raise additional dollars for construction, facilities, and operational needs that fall outside the state’s base funding formula.

The debate over school funding in Idaho extends beyond local ballot measures. Gov. Brad Little’s signing of an anti-union bill earlier this year drew attention to broader tensions between the state and public education stakeholders. Separately, discussions about school choice and alternative education models have grown more prominent statewide, as highlighted by U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s appearance at a Coeur d’Alene charter school earlier this year.

What Happens Next

Voters in participating districts will cast ballots in May 2026. Districts that fall short of the required thresholds — a simple majority for levies, two-thirds for bonds — will need to determine whether to resubmit measures in November or adjust their funding requests. The outcome of May’s elections will offer a gauge of local appetite for property tax increases at a time when statewide tax relief efforts are already reshaping how education dollars flow to districts.

Idaho Education News compiled the full list of May ballot measures by contacting county election offices across the state.