CHIMACUM — The Chimacum School District is hoping for the approval of a four-year educational maintenance and operation levy in the Feb. 14 special election.
The levy would replace an expiring levy that was approved in 2014 with more than 60 percent of the vote. Levies require 50 percent of the vote to pass, but since 2009, all of Chimacum’s school levies have passed with just over 60 percent of the vote.
The levy accounts for 22 percent of the district’s income, according to Chimacum Superintendent Rick Thompson.
“Most of our funding come from the state, but not all of it,” Thompson said.
The levy covers a variety of expenditures including extracurricular programs, utilities and maintenance, professional development for staff, online testing and advanced placement courses, new technology, assessment tools, classroom supplies and teachers salaries.
“In order to attract and retain good teachers, we need some local levy support to provide competitive wages,” Thompson said.
Thompson said the most common question he gets about the levy is how it’s different from a bond.
“Bonds need 60 percent to pass and often fund projects with a set timeline, like buildings,” Thompson said. “A levy needs 50 percent of the vote to pass and funds learning programs.”
The second most common question is cost. According to Thompson, in 2018, the tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value is $1.82. In 2019, that will jump to $1.90, then $1.99 in 2020 and $2.08 in 2021.
With those rates, the levy will raise $3.42 million for the district in 2018, $3.59 million in 2019, $3.77 million in 2020 and $3.96 million in 2021.
“Port Townsend, Brinnon and Quilcene tend to have lower rates on their levies, but compared to schools across the state, it’s pretty low,” Thompson said. “We believe it’s a good value for the community and a good value for the students.”
In 2016, Kitsap County residents paid $3.14 per $1,000 of assessed value on a school levy. Clallam County was at $2.18. Districts in Jefferson County average out to $1.48 per $1000.
The Chimacum School District is entirely within Jefferson County. Small portions of the Sequim and Quillayute Valley public school districts also have voters in Jefferson County, although most are in Clallam County.
Levy proposals for the Sequim and Quillayute Valley districts appear on the ballots of the Jefferson County registered voters who live within them.
As of Friday, 66 of the 313 registered voters in the Sequim district had returned ballots for a turnout of 21.09 percent, while 12 ballots of the 152 registered voters in the Quillayute Valley district serving Forks had returned ballots for a turnout of 7.89 percent.
Registered Clallam County voters numbwer 23,623 in the Sequim School District and 3,291 in the Quillayute Valley School District.
The Sequim School District is asking its voters to approve two levies: a capital projects levy and a renewal of the educational programs and operation levy.
The capital projects levy would fund demolition of the unused portion of Sequim Community School — which was found unsafe for students in 2012 — allowing the district to qualify for $4.3 million in state matching funds for new school construction.
The district would levy $681,000 in 2018, $1.5 million in 2019 and $3.5 million in 2020. The estimated levy rates would be $0.16, $0.36 and $0.81 per $1,000 of assessed value, respectfully.
The $26.5 million educational programs and operation levy would allow the district to levy $6,324,000 in 2018, $6,524,000 in 2019, $6,724,000 in 2020 and $6,924,000 in 2021.
The estimated rates would be $1.52, $1.54, $1.55 and $1.57 per $1,000 assessed value, respectfully.
The educational programs and operation levy replaces the current levy, which expires at the end of 2017.
The Quillayute Valley School District is asking its voters to approve a replacement maintenance and operations levy.
The levy would provide about 13 percent of the district’s $29 million annual budget for four years.
The levy would collect $714,304 annually, matched by the state at $3,188,144 each year.
The levy rate is estimated at $1.48 per $1,000 of assessed value.
It replaces the levy expiring at the end of 2017.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@ peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Jesse Major contributed to this story.
