PORT ANGELES — The School Board met Monday night for the first time since voters rejected two tax levies last week.
Board members did not make any decisions Monday regarding when or what kind of levy or levies to put before voters again.
Instead, they agreed to spend the next seven days collecting comments and analyses from community members about the twin levy failures and present their findings at a special study session next Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m.
A proposed, four-year, $26.8 million maintenance and operations replacement received 55.9 percent of yes votes, short of the required 60 percent approval rate.
A companion $3.6 million capital technology levy, also for four years, received only 51.6 percent yes votes.
The maintenance and operations, or M&O, levy was designed to fill the gap between state and federal funding and actual costs of operating the Port Angeles School District’s high, middle and elementary schools.
The technology levy would have purchased computers, software and training for students and teachers.
Another ballot try
Last week, School Board President Nancy McLaughlin said it was likely the district will try both the M&O levy and the capital technology levy again, although probably not in the same election.
Schools Superintendent Gary Cohn said Monday that the board has yet to make any decision regarding how much money an upcoming levy or levies will seek, their duration, or how they’ll appear on the ballot.
The district can hold an election April 26 or May 17.
Next Tuesday’s meeting will be held at the district’s Central Services Building, 216 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.
