A recent letter to the editor asked a fair question — why is our school district seeking a levy increase from $1.50 to $2.50 per thousand in assessed value? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as simple as the question. School funding is a complicated subject.
It is correct that we have received about $3.3 million in increased revenue for basic education since 2017. Every dollar we receive from the state has a stipulation on how it must be spent. That money can only be used for items defined by the state as basic education salaries and activities. Along with the increased basic education revenue came requirements from the state about how we allocate those funds. The state also passed along additional unfunded requirements.
In 2018, our local replacement levy rate, approved by nearly 60 percent of voters, was $2.82 per $1,000 in assessed value. It provided $5.625 million per year to fund important programs beyond basic education. In fact, the replacement levy sought by our schools is lower than the average rate over the past seven years.
The current (2019-20) replacement levy rate of $1.50 per thousand was a result of state legislation. It reduced our levy revenue to about $3.3 million, limiting our ability to fund important programs, maintenance, and educational enhancements. In 2019, the state looked back and realized that districts all over Washington had been damaged by the sharp cuts in levy revenue. Legislators took action to raise the limit to $2.50.
Levies pay for enhancements and programs that are not funded by the state, but which our voters expect will be provided by our school district. Our ability to continue to offer levy-funded programs and enhancements has been reduced by more than $2 million. We can no longer rely on reserve funds to keep these programs running. This includes things like technology, transportation, food services, athletics, music and arts programs, career and technical programs, additional special education funding, and additional teaching and support staff to keep class sizes relatively low and students on track.
Our board of directors deliberated thoroughly and thoughtfully before deciding that $2.50 per $1,000 was a necessary request in order for us to continue to provide these important levy-funded programs and services our community has asked us to provide.
Centralia voters have passed school replacement levies for the past 45 years, showing their strong support for education in our community. Please remember to vote on February 11.
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Vickie Jackson is a Centralia School Board member. She can be reached at vjackson@centralia.wednet.edu.
