PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School Board has approved a replacement levy for the February ballot, opting for the lower of two levy amounts that it considered.
Board members voted Thursday to approve a $9.1 million replacement educational programs and operations levy.
The four-year levy would cover 22 percent of the revenue the district needs for operation, officials said.
It would replace a two-year maintenance and operations levy that is set to expire at the end of 2017.
“The levy’s new title reflects a more accurate description of what the levy actually pays for,” board President Cindy Kelly said in a district news release.
“Essentially, it is the same levy we’ve run — the maintenance and operations levy — and operated under for many years. Maintenance is only one part of what the levy pays for.”
The replacement educational programs and operations levy would provide continued support for extracurricular athletics and activities, special music programs, maintenance, technology, health services, utilities, student transportation, special education, highly capable programs, food services, vocational programs and counselors, district officials said.
The replacement levy rate would be about $3.25 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation.
The current levy rate is about $3.20 per $1,000. The existing levy also collects 22 percent of what the district needs for operations.
School Board members also considered a $9.9 million, four-year replacement levy for the Feb. 14 special election ballot.
That option would have represented 24 percent of what the district needs for operation and would have raised the levy rate to about $3.55 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
A 4-1 majority of the school district’s Board of Directors passed a resolution to put the $9.1 million levy on the ballot.
“We felt that’s the amount of money that we need,” Kelly said in a Friday interview.
“We felt like it’s what our community can afford, and we are really just staying in our budget.”
District Superintendent Marc Jackson said he was confident that the replacement levy would garner the 50 percent-plus-1 vote simple majority it needs to pass.
“Our community is very supportive of our levies,” Jackson said.
Voters, he added, “overwhelmingly support public education in our town.”
Board member Susan Shotthafer voted against the resolution because she favored a two-year levy rather than a four-year levy, Kelly and Jackson said in separate interviews.
The Port Angeles School District’s maintenance and operations needs haven’t changed since voters approved the current levy by 63.8 percent in February 2015, Jackson said.
“In the spirit of running performing arts programs like we run them and our transportation needs, we need this help,” Jackson said.
“I would love to see the state of Washington basically define what the full impact of funding public education will be in the state, but they’re not there yet.”
The state Legislature is still working to fulfill the requirements of the McCleary decision, a state Supreme Court ruling that said basic education must by fully funded.
The School Board put the two-year levy on the ballot in February 2015 thinking that McCleary would be funded by now, Kelly said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
