Most Spokane County residents, including in rural areas, are being asked to vote on school levies
No matter where you live in Spokane County, your local school district most likely has at least one replacement levy on the Feb. 9 ballot.
Most districts run levies that expire every three years, so most are on the same renewal cycle.
While there are levies proposed in major districts like Spokane, West Valley, Mead, Cheney and Central Valley, smaller districts also are asking voters to help them fund school services.
Here’s a look at what those districts are asking:
Riverside School DistrictThe Riverside School District north of Spokane is asking voters to approve a replacement Educational Programs and Operations levy. “It is not a new tax,” Superintendent Ken Russell said. “It’s actually the replacement of an existing tax that’s been in our community for decades.”
The district is asking voters to approve a rate of $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value each year. State law allows districts to collect up to $2.50 per $1,000, but Russell said the district is trying to be sensitive to the current economic situation.
“We’re trying to honor the economic things our community and families are going through right now,” he said. “A lot of our families have lost jobs and are going through difficult times.”
The levy pays for things the state does not fund as part of basic education. That includes nurses, counselors, STEM classes, athletics, art, drama and music. It also pays for elective classes, such as welding, biomedical science and engineering.
The levy also helps pay for transportation, which is a significant expense in the sprawling district. “In Riverside, transportation costs about seven times the average cost in the state because of the sheer size of our district,” Russell said.
If voters approve the levy, it will trigger Local Effort Assistance funding from the state, which is about $250,000 per year, Russell said. “It’s a pretty big deal for rural districts because we don’t have the tax base a district like Bellevue would have,” he said.
The levy money accounts for about 12% of the district’s annual budget. “It pays for some really important programs and services,” Russell said.
Medical LakeThe Medical Lake School District is requesting a replacement EP&O levy of $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value each year. Money raised from the levy accounts for 12% of the district’s budget and the district will receive another $1.5 million a year from the state in Local Effort Assistance funding if the levy is approved by voters.
In addition to things like athletics and activities, Medical Lake intends to use some of its levy money for COVID support, Chromebooks and a School Resource Officer.
Deer ParkThe Deer Park School District, in response to economic conditions, is asking to maintain a tax rate of $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value in its replacement EP&O levy on the ballot. That tax rate is the minimum required if a district wants to qualify to receive Local Effort Assistance funding from the state.
The district uses its money to pay for school nurses, STEM classes, athletics, art and music, as well as funding additional teachers to reduce K-8 class sizes. Textbooks and security cameras are also on the list for funding.
Reardan-EdwallThe Reardan-Edwall School District, which includes portions of Spokane and Lincoln counties, is asking voters to approve a replacement EP&O levy with an annual tax rate of $2 per $1,000 in assessed home value. The amount is down slightly from the $2.09 per $1,000 that is being collected this year.
The levy is expected to collect $1.3 million a year, which is 13% of the district’s annual budget.
Early learning and supplemental learning programs are among the things that would be funded by the levy , as well as technology, nurses, arts, electives and athletics.
LibertyThe Liberty School District in Spangle has two replacement levies on the ballot, an EP&O levy and a Technology, Safety and Security levy. The proposed rates are $1.79 per $1,000 in assessed home value for the EP&O levy, which is lower than the $1.85 per $1,000 currently being collected, and 21 cents per $1,000 for the Technology, Safety and Security levy.
The EP&O levy accounts for nearly 17% of the district’s budget. In addition to the EP&O levy funding music, art, athletics, nurses and smaller class sizes, it also entirely funds the district’s K-8 principal. The TSS levy, which collects $175,000 per year, is used to maintain technology, pay for software and internet, and purchase security cameras.
FreemanThe Freeman School District also has a replacement EP&O levy and a replacement Safety, Security, Technology and Infrastructure capital levy on the ballot. The proposed rate for the EP&O levy will remain unchanged at $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value each year. The levy, along with the Local Effort Assistance funding, accounts for 12% of the district’s budget.
The proposed rate for the SSTI capital levy will remain at $1.25 per $1,000 in assessed home value. The capital levy is used to fund safety and security upgrades to the district’s campus, as well as technology. It is also used to modernize and remodel school facilities.
Nine Mile FallsThe Nine Mile Falls School District, which includes portions of Spokane and Stevens counties, is asking voters to approve a replacement EP&O levy of $2.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value per year. This is a higher amount than the $1.72 per $1,000 being collected this year, but a Capital Improvement Levy that collected $1.45 per $1,000 has expired and is not being renewed. Overall, residents will be saving 67 cents per $1,000. The levy accounts for about 17% of the district’s annual budget.
In addition to athletics, art, music, electives, nurses and counselors, the district will pay for additional costs related to COVID and distance learning.
The district estimates it has spent $450,000 on COVID costs, including technology, personal protective equipment and increased food service .
Orchard PrairieThe Orchard Prairie School District, which includes one K-7 school in north Spokane County, is proposing a two-year replacement EP&O levy that would collect $1.25 per $1,000 in assessed home value. The levy would raise about $160,000 per year.
Great NorthernThe Great Northern School District, which is composed of a single K-6 school in northwest Spokane County, is requesting a replacement EP&O levy with a rate of $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed home value. The levy would raise about $242,000 in 2022.
Levies require a simple majority to pass. Ballots must be returned or postmarked by Feb. 9. Ballot drop boxes are located at Spokane County Library District and Spokane Public Library branches.