 2004
M & O Levy
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Maintenance
and Operations Replacement Levy Scheduled for February 3, 2004
Voters of the
White Salmon Valley School District approved a two-year
replacement
levy on February 3rd, 2004.
At the December 17,
2003, school board meeting, the board of directors approved the Special
Election replacement maintenance and operations levy in the amount of
$1,425,000. This amount represents a $185,000 increase over the current
two-year levy. The increase is necessary to help cover costs of inflation,
and to help maintain lower class sizes. Although the replacement levy
is an increase over the prior two-year levy, local property tax
rates will
actually be lower.
(See
comparison chart.)
Additional information
about the levy can be found below, or by calling the district office at
(509) 493-1500.
Common
questions about the Levy
What is a Maintenance and Operations (M & O) Levy?
A Maintenance
and Operations (M & O) Levy provides a school district with funds
to bridge the difference between the money it receives from the state
and the actual cost of operating its schools. At the end of each year,
the levy expires and is replaced by the next year's levy. Our district
has typically sought approval of levy funding from the voters every two
years. The current levy, passed in February, 2002, expires in December
2004.
The February 3 levy would replace it, beginning in the spring of 2005.
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Why
does the district need a levy?
As state
support for school operations continues to shrink, and as costs for
providing essential
services and programs rise, the importance of local support for schools
becomes even greater. Currently, allocations from the state for school
funding meet only 82% of our district's budget, leaving 18 %, or approximately
one-sixth (1/6) of the budget to the local district. Without levy
funding,
our district would fall far short of the funding needed to maintain our
current programs.
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Where
does levy money go?
Levy funds
help pay for some of the fundamental tools of our strong educational
program,
including staffing, teaching supplies, textbooks, library books, transportation,
extracurricular programs, and a portion of our afterschool programs.
Additionally, they help cover the costs of
increases in utilities,
services, and transportation particular to our rural area. (See
levy funding chart).
Although levy funds help meet a number of educational needs, 71.9% of
the funds are dedicated to be used directly in the classrooms, the
highest
in the State of Washington for like-sized schools.
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What
happens if a levy doesn't pass?
Because
the district cannot function at acceptable levels solely on the funding
provided
by the state, a second levy would have to be offered later in the year.
In the meantime, we run the risk of losing $278,000 of levy equalization
money from the state. Most damaging perhaps would be the need to curtail,
at least temporarily, many of our district's most successful programs
and activities, halting their forward progress at a time when student
gains in education are most critical.
Already, this spring
the district will see a lay-off of numerous staff members--including
certificated teachers, administrative personnel, and classified personel--
to get staffing in alignment with state allocations. These staff
reductions will amount to between $370,000-$425,000. Yet, in order
to maintain lower class sizes at both Henkle Middle School and Columbia
High School, it is imperative that the 1.5 certificated staff personnel
to be funded by the proposed replacement levy be retained. To lose
these staff would cut dramatically into the successful programs currently
offered at our schools.
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Why
is passing the levy important to me if I don't have any kids in school?
A community's
schools benefit more than just the students who attend them and the parents
who send them there. Strong schools create environments for young people
to learn and grow, and to become valuable, contributing members of their
community throughout their lives. Investing in the future of children
through support of their schools creates lasting rewards for the whole
community. Whether you have kids in classes or not, you and the entire
community benefit from a strong school system. And an investment in the
children of today, in the workers, citizens, and leaders of tomorrow,
is an investment that is important to everyone.
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Why
are tax rates decreasing if the levy amount has been raised?
Because
of interest earnings, State Forest receipts, and reduced bond payments
in 2004,
the district will continue to collect fewer tax dollars to service
bond debt. Also, due to new
construction within the district the total valuation of the district
will increase, thereby decreasing the tax rate per thousand. In other
words, as the total value of taxable property increases, the
individual tax rate paid for individual's property decreases.
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What
will this levy cost me?
It's impossible
to perfectly predict what the school taxes will be on a particular
piece
of property in the future; changing assessments and new construction
continually change the size of the county's base assessment value,
which in turn determines
the total levy amount paid per $1,000 of assessed value to generate the
total levy amount. However, the proposed replacement levy will cost
property
owners approximately $2.43 per $1,000 assessed value for 2005, and
$2.39 per $1,000 for 2006. This, coupled with lowered bond rates
for the same time period, results in a significant decrease in
the amount of tax paid per $1,000 of assessed value. (See
Chart for
annual changes in tax rate)
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Where do I vote?
Polls will
be open at the following locations from 7 AM to 8 PM on Tuesday, February
3, 2004.
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Husum -
BZ
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Husum Church
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Mt. Brook
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Henkle Middle
School Library
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Bingen
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Bingen City
Hall
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Fruit Valley
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Henkle Middle
School Library
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White Salmon
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Masonic
Hall
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Underwood
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Underwood
Community Center
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What are the Total School Tax Rates?
| |
Actual |
Est. |
Projected |
| |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
| M&O Levy |
$2.48 |
$2.43 |
$2.55 |
$2.14 |
$2.43 |
$2.39 |
| Bond |
$0.97 |
$0.82 |
$0.56 |
$0.46 |
$0.45 |
$0.45 |
| Total |
$3.45 |
$3.26 |
$3.11 |
$2.60 |
$2.88 |
$2.84 |
The table above shows a comparison of school tax per thousand dollars
of assessed value. Rates shown for 2001-2003 are actual rates; 2004
are estimated rates under the current levy. 2005 and 2006 are projected
under the proposed replacement levy. For comparison, while the owner
of a $150,000 home paid $519 in levy and bond taxes in 2001, the owner
of a $150,000 home will only pay a projected $432 in 2005, and even
less ($426) in 2006.
*2004 - 2006 rates can only be estimated at this time, as the county
base assessment value changes over time; however, based on past experience,
the rate per $1,000 may go down further because of new construction
which increases the county base assessment value.
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Where Does
the Levy Money Go?
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Over 72%
of the levy will be used directly in the classrooms.
That's
the highest percentage for like-sized schools in Washington
State.
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