Cynthia Sewell reports less than one year after Meridian School District voters defeated an $18.5 million supplemental levy, the district is trying again on March 13 with a $14 million levy.

“I think the climate is quite different,” Meridian Superintendent Linda Clark said.

A lot of the rhetoric from state leaders about education has quieted down since last spring’s debate about reform, and the state’s cuts to education are now being felt close to home, she said.

The Meridian district has cut $40 million in the last three years — this year’s budget is about $168 million — while enrollment increased by 1,670 students to 35,189. The district currently is 128 teachers and 18 administrators below its state allocation, Clark said.