CHIMACUM — Chimacum School Superintendent Rick Thompson is optimistic that voters will approve a four-year educational maintenance and operation levy Tuesday — but he’s not taking anything for granted.
“We’re very hopeful,” Thompson said Friday. “We’ll see what the voters say.”
The replacement levy is an important piece of the district’s finances, he said. It accounts for 22 percent of the district’s income, covering 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 — especially — teachers’ salaries.
“In order to attract and retain good teachers, we need some local levy support to provide competitive wages,” Thompson has said.
The rest of the district’s money comes from the state. Future finances are uncertain as the state Legislature works to fulfill the McCleary decision, an order from the state Supreme Court that basic education must be fully funded by 2018.
“One of the complicating factors is the ongoing school funding debate” in the state Legislature, Thompson said. “We’ve encouraged people to watch that closely but also be aware that any K-12 formula will take place after the levy vote,” he said.
The regular legislative session, which began Jan. 9, will end April 23, but the past two sessions have been extended to June 30, Thompson pointed out. The district must take action on teaching staff in the spring.
The good news, Thompson said, is that the Chimacum School District passed its validation threshold last week, “so we can count the election.”
Thompson had been concerned because state law says at least 40 percent of those in the district who voted in the last general election must return ballots for a vote to be counted. In November, about 8,000 voters of those registered voted, so the Chimacum School District needed to see 3,222 ballots returned.
That number was passed earlier in the week and as of Friday stood at 3,620 returned ballots for a voter turnout of 38.95 percent.
The levy would replace an expiring levy approved in 2014. Levies require 50 percent of the vote to pass.
The proposed levy would cost property owners an estimated $1.82 per $1,000 assessed value in 2018, $1.90 in 2019, $1.99 in 2020 and $2.08 in 2021.
It would 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.
Ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday or placed in drop boxes by 8 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.
Jefferson County drop boxes are at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend, and the Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock.
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 voters are in Clallam County.
As of Friday, 112 of the 313 registered Jefferson County voters in the Sequim district had returned ballots for a turnout of 35.78 percent, while 29 ballots of the 152 registered voters in the Quillayute Valley district serving Forks had returned ballots for a turnout of 19.08 percent.
Registered Clallam County voters number 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 three-year capital projects levy and a four-year renewal of the educational programs and operation levy.
Sequim Superintendent Gary Neal said the district has listened to the community, which has rejected four bond proposals in recent years, and is now trying a different approach to funding capital improvements.
“We’ll just take smaller chunks and see if the community is supportive of that,” Neal said.
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 capital projects levy would cost property owners an estimated 16 cents per $1,000 assessed value in 2018, 36 cents per $1,000 in 2019 and 81 cents per $1,000 in 2020.
The district would collect $681,000 in 2018, $1.5 million in 2019 and $3.5 million in 2020.
The $26.5 million educational programs and operation levy, which would replace a levy that expires at the end of this year, would cost property owners an estimated $1.52 per $1,000 assessed value in 2018, $1.54 in 2019, $1.55 in 2020 and $1.57 in 2021.
The district would collect $6.3 million in 2018, $6.5 million in 2019, $6.7 million in 2020 and $6.9 million in 2021.
The Quillayute Valley School District is asking voters to approve a maintenance and operations levy to replace a levy that expires at the end of this year.
The levy would provide about 13 percent of the district’s $29 million annual budget for four years. It would collect $714,304 annually, matched by the state at $3,188,144 each year.
Superintendent Diana Reaume said the district is asking for a levy that maximizes the state’s contribution to the school through its Local Effort Assistance fund, which supports property-poor districts.
“A good chunk is to support students,” she said, adding that it supports about 35 full-time jobs in the district.
The levy would cost property owners an estimated $1.48 per $1,000 assessed value in 2018 and 2019, $1.46 per $1,000 in 2020 and $1.44 per $1,000 in 2021. The district would collect $714,304 each year.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland contributed to this report.
