Districts around the region have put a replacement levy on a Feb. 9th ballot. Each district has a unique situation as a result the levies are all slightly different. What is true for all of them is that levies provide a significant amount of funding for everything from arts programs, to athletics, to transportation. We’ve gathered information about all the districts proposals.
Levies only require a simple majority to pass. Ballots must be returned or postmarked by Feb. 9.Ballot drop boxes are located at Spokane County Library District and Spokane Public Library branches.
SPOKANE SCHOOL DISTRICT:
What the district is asking for: It would replace the $106 million levy that expires next year. If approved, it would cost taxpayers up to $2.40 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2021, 5 cents more the following year, and $2.50 in the final year.
How much it will cost: According to Spokane Public Schools, the EPO levy and Bond will cost $1,142.50 for homeowners with an average home value of $250,000. That will increase to $1,155.00 in 2203 and $1,167.50 in 2024.
NOTE: In 2017 and 2018 home owners paid $1,477 and $1,450 respectively.
What will the money be spent on:
Instruction: Includes funding for teachers to reduce lower class sizes and offer expanded course options, as well as for special education, English Language Learners, highly capable offerings, extracurricular activities, librarians, counselors, school nurses, and school office support staff.Instruction support: Includes instructional professional development, instructional technology, and curriculum.Maintenance and operations: Includes custodial and maintenance staffing, as well as related supplies and materials. Operation of new middle schools: Each school will need to be staffed with a principal, assistant principal, counselors, librarian, custodians, and school office staff. This will also fund building operating costs, such as utilities. The opening of three new middle schools will help alleviate overcrowding at elementary schools by moving sixth-grade students into a 6-8 middle school configuration, like most districts in the nation.
What District leaders are saying:
“It’s foundational to the educational experiences we provide our students,” Superintendent Adam Swinyard told the Spokesman-Review
Should the levy fail, Swinyard warned the district would be “unrecognizable.”
What people opposed to the levy are saying:
Spokane resident Steve Blaska, told the Spokesman-Review he objects to the size of the increase.
“Now is not the time to increase the local levy rate to the maximum,” Blaska said. “Homeowners and renters are struggling to pay housing costs. Business owners are struggling to recover from COVID recession.”
“When I heard there was going to be a levy, it seemed out-of-touch and a bit tone-deaf after what parents are going through,” Hyatt said. “Trust has been broken with parents.” “Families are struggling,” said Joanna Hyatt, co-leader of Open Spokane Schools, a group that has sought since the summer to bring all students back into classrooms.
MEAD SCHOOL DISTRICT:
What the district is asking for:
The Mead School District is asking its community to consider a three-year renewal levy for educational programs and operations on the Special Election ballot on February 9, 2021. This renewal levy is not a new tax, it replaces a three-year levy that will expire in 2021.
How much it will cost:
If approved by voters on Feb. 9, the estimated levy tax rate for Mead School District would be $2.00 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. For a $300,000 home, that equals $600 per year or $50 per month.
What will the money be spent on:
Extra-curricular activities (sports, music, activities, and clubs)Elective courses, staff for smaller class sizes, career-track and work-based learning opportunitiesStudent support (nurses, paraeducators, counselors, and social workers)For a full list, click here
What District leaders are saying:
“People know that we’ve made a commitment to our schools,” Superintendent Shawn Woodward told the Spokesman-Review. “By reopening schools, a lot of our families realize that we are in the minority in the state, providing a model that only 4% of students in the state are able to experience.”
West Valley School District
What the district is asking for:
How much it will cost:
According to the district, the tax rate will be $3.95 per $1,000 of assessed value. For a $300,000 home that works out to $98.75 per month or $1,185 per year.
NOTE: That is $1,000 less than the 2020 tax rate.
What will the money be spent on:
The levy pays for anything that is not considered basic education. That includes nurses, counselors, STEM programs, athletics, and activities like band, robotics, drama, and art, said Superintendent Kyle Rydell. Some of the money also is used for teachers to help bring class sizes down.
What District leaders are saying:
“Our overall rate is going down,” Executive Director of Finance Sam Schweda told the Spokesman-Review. “It’s actually going to be the lowest it’s been in the last 25 years,” Schweda said.
CHENEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
What the district is asking for:
The Cheney School District is asking voters to approve renewals to two existing levies, an Educational Programs and Operation levy and Capital Projects levy.
How much it will cost:
Total tax collection will be $1.87 per $1,000 of assessed value. For a $300,000 home that works out to $561 per year or $46.75 per month
What will the money be spent on:
Technology Safety and Security ImprovementsCapital Improvements, including but not limited to:Boiler replacementsTennis Court ResurfacingHeat Exchangers
What District leaders are saying:
“It supports many things – arts, music, drama,” Superintendent Rob Roettger told the Spokesman-Review.
“It’s a pretty significant portion of our district,” he said.
CENTRAL VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT:
What the district is asking for:
The February 9, 2021 levy replaces the expiring 2018 levy and is not a new tax.
How much it will cost:
The levies will cost $2.48 per $1,000 of assessed value. For a $250,000 home that works out to $620 per year or $51.66 per month
What will the money be spent on:
Necessary staffing: teachers to maintain lower class sizes, nurses to meet students’ basic health needs, counselors, social workers, security, custodians, and support staffSpecial education programs filling the gap between program costs, and fundingCurriculum, textbooks, teaching, professional development and instructional materialsCo-curricular & extracurricular activities: music, drama, debate, athletics, STEM camps, and after-school activitiesStudent intervention & support programs academic, social, and emotional supportsSchool safety: resource deputies and officers, crossing guards, playground supervisors, and school assistantsTechnology: Chromebooks for every student that needs one, classroom technology, and Wi-Fi support
RIVERSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT
What the district is asking for: The Riverside School District north of Spokane is asking voters to approve a replacement Educational Programs and Operations levy. “It is not a new tax,” Superintendent Ken Russell told the Spokesman-Review. “It’s actually the replacement of an existing tax that’s been in our community for decades.”
How much it will cost:
The district is asking voters to approve a rate of $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value each year. For a $250,000 home that works out to $375 per year or $31.25 per month
What will the money be spent on:
The levy pays for things the state does not fund as part of basic education. That includes nurses, counselors, STEM classes, athletics, art, drama, and music. It also pays for elective classes, such as welding, biomedical science, and engineering.
The levy also helps pay for transportation, which is a significant expense in the sprawling district. “In Riverside, transportation costs about seven times the average cost in the state because of the sheer size of our district,” Russell said.
MEDICAL LAKE SCHOOL DISTRICT
What the district is asking for: The Medical Lake School District is requesting a replacement EP&O levy
How much will it cost? The district is asking voters to approve a rate of $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value each year. For a $250,000 home that works out to $375 per year or $31.25 per month
What will the money be spent on: In addition to things like athletics and activities, Medical Lake intends to use some of its levy money for COVID support, Chromebooks, and a School Resource Officer.
DEER PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT
What the district is asking for: A replacement of its EP&O levy
How much will it cost?
$1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value. For a $250,000 home that works out to $375 per year or $31.25 per month.
What will the money be spent on:
The district uses its money to pay for school nurses, STEM classes, athletics, art and music, as well as funding additional teachers to reduce K-8 class sizes. Textbooks and security cameras are also on the list for funding.
REARDEN-EDWALL SCHOOL DISTRICT
What the District is asking for: A replacement of its EP&O levy
How much will it cost?
$2 per $1,000 in assessed home value. For a $250,000 home that works out to 500 per year or $41.66 per month.
What will the money be spent on:
Early learning and supplemental learning programs are among the things that would be funded by the levy , as well as technology, nurses, arts, electives and athletics.
LIBERTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
What the District is asking for: The Liberty School District in Spangle has two replacement levies on the ballot, an EP&O levy and a Technology, Safety and Security levy.
How much will it cost: The proposed rates are $1.79 per $1,000 in assessed home value for the EP&O levy, which is lower than the $1.85 per $1,000 currently being collected, and 21 cents per $1,000 for the Technology, Safety and Security levy.
What will it pay for: According to the Spokesman-Review In addition to the EP&O levy funding music, art, athletics, nurses and smaller class sizes, it also entirely funds the district’s K-8 principal. The TSS levy, which collects $175,000 per year, is used to maintain technology, pay for software and internet, and purchase security cameras.
FREEMAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
What the District is asking for: The Freeman School District also has a replacement EP&O levy and a replacement Safety, Security, Technology and Infrastructure capital levy on the ballot.
How much will it cost: The proposed rate for the EP&O levy will remain unchanged at $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value each year. The proposed rate for the SSTI capital levy will remain at $1.25 per $1,000 in assessed home value.
What will it pay for:
The capital levy is used to fund safety and security upgrades to the district’s campus, as well as technology. It is also used to modernize and remodel school facilities.
The EP&O levy, along with the Local Effort Assistance funding, accounts for 12% of the district’s budget.
NINE MILE FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT
What the District is asking for: The district is asking voters to approve a replacement EP&O levy.
How much will it cost: According to the Spokesman-Review, the levy will cost $2.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value per year. This is a higher amount than the $1.72 per $1,000 being collected this year, but a Capital Improvement Levy that collected $1.45 per $1,000 has expired and is not being renewed. Overall, residents will be saving 67 cents per $1,000.
What will it pay for: The levy accounts for about 17% of the district’s annual budget.
In addition to athletics, art, music, electives, nurses and counselors, the district will pay for additional costs related to COVID and distance learning.
ORCHARD PRARIE SCHOOL DISTRICT:
What the District is asking for: The district is proposing a two-year replacement EP&O levy
How much will it cost: It will cost $1.25 per $1,000 in assessed home value. For a $250,000 home, that works out to $312 per year or $26 per month
GREAT NORTHERN SCHOOL DISTRICT:
What the District is asking for: The district is requesting a replacement EP&O levy
How much will it cost: It will cost $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value. According to the Spokesman-Review, the levy would raise about $242,000 in 2022.