SEQUIM — Sequim School District residents will be asked to vote on an Educational Operations and Programs at some point between now and November 2021.
And the district is considering also running a small capital project levy to help fix aging infrastructure and improve safety.
The district needs to have funding from an Educational Operations and Programs (EP&O) levy, a four-year levy that runs out in 2021, Superintendent Roy Clark told the Sequim School Board on Monday.
EP&O levies pay for more teachers to reduce class sizes, programs such as Highly Capable and Advanced Placement courses, curriculum, books and technology, overall district maintenance and activities such as sports and after-school clubs.
“We have no choice but to run the EP&O levy,” Clark said. “I’m not going to tell you we’d have to shut the doors but (it’d be) awful close.”
In recent weeks, the district has hosted public forms to consider the possibility of also presenting a bond or capital project levy to voters.
A bond is likely out of consideration, Clark said, but he said the board should keep in consideration a small two- or three-year capital projects levy that would help get to long-standing projects across the district.
“A lot of that’s going to depend on the economy; I recognize that completely (but) I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring it up,” Clark said.
Board director Jim Stoffer said he’s in support of running a capital projects levy.
“We have a long list going back to 2008, 2012 that we can prioritize,” he said.
