Moses Lake schools ready for 2006 vote on new operation

Three-year levy to go to vote Feb. 7

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District, with the help of committee members from the community, decided to run a three-year maintenance and operation levy Feb. 7.

If voters approve the levy, additional property taxes will be collected in 2007, according to auditor's records.

Collection would begin at a rate of $3.61 per $1,000 of assessed property value with $7,646,564 collected. This would be an initial increase of 8 cents from the $3.53 per $1,000 approved by voters in April of 2004 for a two-year levy.

If voters approve the upcoming levy, following collection rates for 2008 would increase to $3.63 with $8,073,561 collected and in 2009 the collection rate would increase to $3.65 with $8,565,040 collected.

A school levy helps fund day to day operations of a school district that are not covered by state funding. Some of those items include staff in-service training, extracurricular programs, special education services, transportation and curriculum resources.

A Citizens for Education Committee made up of community members met several times to discuss options for levy amounts and how long to run the levy.

"We wanted to go a little bit longer than the two years that we've gone in the past but not the full four years we could have gone, allowing us to adjust if and when new manufacturing facilities are built," said CEC co-chairman Juliann Dodds of the decision to run a three-year levy.

School levy funds make up 15 percent of the MLSD budget revenues. If the levy passes the district receives more than $2 million in state levy equalization money. The money is set aside by the state to give to districts with lower assessed property values. It is an effort to equalize the amount less affluent districts receive compared to others.

School district assistant superintendent of business and operations Monte Redal said the district decided on a three-year levy as opposed to a two or four-year levy to have enough financial stability without planning too far in advance.

This levy would replace the levy passed by voters in 2004. School levies require a 60 percent super majority of the vote in order to pass.

With continued mandates placed on school districts such as the Washington Assessment of Student Learning which the class of 2008 is required to pass in order to graduate from high school, Moses Lake School District Superintendent Steve Chestnut said school levy monies are becoming increasingly important.

"Public schools are under funded by the state, so we're really depending on local support," said Chestnut.

Ballots will be mailed out in mid-January. For more information on the levy call (509) 766-2650 or visit www.moseslakeschools.org.