School District Agrees to Levy Request

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By Ruth Johnson

Summary

The Kennewick School District has made the decision to ask voters for millions of dollars in early February. School board members agreed some time ago to put a levy on the ballot. In fact, it's the standard two year levy request. No surprise there. But one big dilemma for planners has been the on-going question about how much the state may cut from education when the legislature convenes next year. It's made formulating a request difficult. The board has struggled with the anxiety of possible deep cuts courtesy of the state, but also feels the need to maintain acceptable taxes for people living in Kennewick. In the end, the request equals about 20 million dollars for 2011 and 2012.

Story Published: Nov 11, 2009 at 5:49 PM PST

KENNEWICK -- After many hours of grueling numbers crunching, the Kennewick School District has made a decision on how much money to ask voters to approve in February to keep the city's schools running.

The request: Close to 20 million dollars for both 2011 and 2012. The money from the levy would pay for virtually everything that keeps a school open. That includes teachers, maintenance, custodians, textbooks, transportation, and counselors. And the list goes on.

The levy makes up 18.6% of the overall 140 million dollar budget. For taxpayers in 2011, it adds up to 3.24 per 1000 assessed property value. That's actually down from 2010's 3.30 per 1000 asessment.

Kennewick Superintendent, Dave Bond, said after the board's vote November 4th, "Rates tend to come down as property values go up."

What confuses a lot of people is the 68 million dollars voted in last year by people living in Kennewick. That money came via a bond election, which is different than a levy vote. Bonds pay for buildings. Two examples are the new Badger Canyon facility under construction, and the work being done on Canyon View.

A levy, meanwhile, pays for what is inside a school.

Board members agree, if voters were to say no to the levy request, it could be a disaster. Massive cuts would occur. For example, the 2.5 million dollar sports program could be seriously damaged. Librarians, music teachers, and other non-essential educators would lose their jobs.

Further, the school district would also lose another 8.5 million dollars in equalization money from the state.

"Schools," Dave Bond said, "would look a lot different."

But it is a rare day that a Kennewick School District levy has failed. And if this one did, the board would be forced to put it back up for another vote in April. And, for a second vote in one season to fail would be extraordinary. The last time Kennewick voters turned down a levy in two elections in one spring, was 1969.

Kennewick will not be alone in making it's request for funds in February. Multiple local school districts will have levys on the ballot.