CHIMACUM — Chimacum School District residents voted to approve a four-year replacement Educational Programs and Operations levy in Tuesday’s special election.
The levy passed by 3,380 votes, or 67.17 percent, to 1,652 votes, or 32.83 percent, opposed after the second ballot count released Wednesday afternoon.
The Chimacum School District replacement EP&O levy is a four-year levy that amounts to a total of $8.7 million to fina
nce educational operations and maintenance. It would cost taxpayers about 86 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation in 2022 and would decrease each year to a low of 82 cents per $1,000 assessed value.
Chimacum acting superintendent David Engle said he’s happy the levy passed.
“I see the passage of our EP&O levy with high community support as a vote of confidence in our extraordinary efforts on the part of school staff to keep our schools up and running during this year-long pandemic,” Engle said in an email Wednesday.
“But this was not only a vote of confidence in today’s work; but it was also a statement of hope for the future. Couple this levy passage with the imminent arrival of a new district leader and you can see a successful continuation of effort in the Chimacum School District,” he continued.
“Ultimately, our students will feel the support of this community in very real terms. Strong academic programs, supportive staff in place and good leadership will help our students succeed in realizing their dreams. Our voters deserve a big ‘thank you’ for their support.”
The district’s school board is expected to announce the selection of the new superintendent starting at the end of this school year during a joint meeting with the Port Townsend School District board at 5 p.m. on Feb. 24.
The election will be certified Feb. 19.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
