White Salmon Schools

2006 M & O Levy

 

Maintenance and Operations Replacement Levy, 2006

Voters of the White Salmon Valley School District had an opportunity to approve a two-year replacement levy on February 7th, 2006, and current tallies show they did, at just over 62.5%.

The White Salmon Valley School district asked the voters to approve a two-year replacement levy on February 7, 2006. This levy money will be used to support normal operating expenses of our schools for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 school years. Levy funds help pay for some of the fundamental tools of our educational programs, such as staffing, increased utility costs, increased fuel costs, teaching supplies, textbooks, library books, transportation, extracurricular programs, and a portion of our after-school programs.

At the December 15, 2005, school board meeting, the board of directors approved the special election replacement maintenance and operations levy in the amount of $1,675,000. This is an increase of $250,000 over the current two-year amount. This increase is necessary to help cover costs of inflation, to recoup lost funds due to reduced levy equalization dollars, and to maintain lower class sizes.

Although the amount of the replacement levy is an increase over the prior two-year levy, local property tax rates will be only slightly higher. New construction within the district, in conjunction with new assessed valuations, interest earnings, state forest receipts, and reduced bond payments in 2007 and 2008 all contribute to keeping the tax rates at a lower cost.

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, 2004, expires in December 2006. The February 7 levy would replace it, beginning in the spring of 2007.

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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, state funding meets 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.

Although the state authorizes school districts to levy up to 24% of the district's levy base, our school board of directors has chosen to keep the actual levy amount significantly lower, at 18% of the levy base.
See an explanation of how our district's budget is put together.

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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, 69% 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 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 $200,000 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.

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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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Where will the increased levy dollars be spent?

The outline below spells out the basic plan for use of the additional funds requested in this replacement levy. For more details and explanations of each item, see the related page or follow one of the (More info...) links that follow each item.

$90,000 to make up lost state funding due to declining enrollment (More info...)

+ $50,000 to complete security system for 3 schools (More info...)

+ $30,000 for restoration of Technology Budget (More info...)

+ $25,000 to re-establish TASK room at Henkle Middle School (More info...)

+ $30,000 to maintain Park Center Building (More info...)

+ $10,000 to purchase field maintenance equipment (More info...)

+ $15,000 to offset future inflation costs (More info...)

= $250,000 TOTAL LEVY INCREASE

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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 $2.89 per $1,000 assessed value for 2007, and $2.80 per $1,000 for 2008. (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 7, 2006.
NEW: Many precincts will now be voting at a single polling station at the new Pioneer Center in White Salmon.
Precinct
Old
New

Husum - BZ
Husum Church

Husum Church

Mt. Brook
Henkle Middle School Library

Pioneer Center

Bingen
Bingen City Hall

Bingen City Hall

Fruit Valley
Henkle Middle School Library

Pioneer Center

White Salmon
Masonic Hall

Pioneer Center

Underwood
All Mail In

All Mail In

Absentee Ballots are available

Klickitat County -- 1-800-583-8050

Skamania County - 509-427-9420

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What are the Total School Tax Rates?

The table below shows a comparison of school tax rates per thousand dollars of assessed value. Rates shown for 2001-2005 are actual rates; 2006 are estimated rates under the current levy. 2007 and 2008 are projected under the proposed replacement levy.

 
Actual
 Est'd Projected
 
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
 2007 2008
M&O Levy
$2.48
$2.43
$2.55
$2.51
$2.27
$2.23
 $2.56 $2.51
Bond
$0.97
$0.82
$0.56
$0.54
$0.42
$0.45
 $0.33 $0.29
Total
$3.45
$3.25
$3.11
$3.05
$2.69
$2.68
 $2.89 $2.80

The table below shows how the proposed levy translates into actual tax costs based on property value. Again, rates shown for 2001-2005 are actual rates; 2006 are estimated rates under the current levy. 2007 and 2008 are projected under the proposed replacement levy.

Total Levy Amount Per Home Value

Assessed
Valuation

Actual

Est'd

Proposed

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

$100,000

$346

$325

$311

$305

$270

$268

$289

$280

$125,000

$432

$406

$389

$382

$337

$335

$361

$350

$150,000

$519

$487

$467

$458

$404

$402

$434

$420

$175,000

$605

$568

$544

$534

$472

$469

$506

$490

$200,000

$692

$649

$622

$611

$539

$536

$578

$560

$225,000

$778

$730

$700

$687

$607

$603

$650

$630

$250,000

$865

$811

$778

$763

$674

$670

$723

$700

 

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Where Does the Levy Money Go?

Basic Ed - Staff not funded by State money (class size reduction, for example)
Classroom Supplies - Materials, services
Operational Suport - Supplies, materials, utilities, services, etc.
Transportation - To cover transportation costs not met by State funding
Extracurricular - Activities, sports, clubs, etc.

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White Salmon Valley SchoolDistrict 405-17
PO Box 157
White Salmon, WA 98672
(509) 493-1500

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