Othello School Board approves levy proposal

OTHELLO — Othello School District voters will be asked to approve or reject a three-year maintenance and operations levy in a special election Feb. 14. The Othello School Board approved the levy resolution at its regular meeting Monday.

The levy, if approved, would be $3,050,000 in the first year, $3,200,000 in the second year and $3,350,000 in the third year, an increase of $150,000 per year, said assistant superintendent Gina Bullis. The first year is a $150,000 increase from the final year of the current levy.

If approved, the levy would replace the existing M&O levy approved by voters in 2014.

Property owners would pay an estimated $2.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value in the first year, and estimated $2.44 per $1,000 in the second year and an estimated $2.48 per $1,000 in the third year. A landowner whose property is worth $200,000 would pay an estimated $480 in the first year, an estimated $488 in the second year and an estimated $496 in the third year.

School levies must receive a bare majority, anything over 50 percent, to pass.

In addition, Othello is eligible for levy assistance from the state. Levy assistance provides additional money to districts with relatively lower property values. But levy assistance is only available to districts that pass a maintenance and operations levy, Bullis explained.

Othello actually gets more from levy assistance than the levy itself. The district will receive $4,437,154 in levy assistance for 2016-17; the levy is $2,858,000.

In 2016-17 the levy will account for about 15 percent of the district’s budget, Bullis said.

The levy pays for those programs the state doesn’t pay for, and supplements funding for other programs only partially funded through the state.

Othello uses its levy money to help fund its summer school, preschool and its kindergarten prep program. The district’s highly capable program and its AVID program is funded through the levy. (The AVID program is designed to help middle school and high school students get ready for college.) After-school programs are funded through the levy, and so is the district’s extracurricular program. All extracurricular activities must be funded locally.

The levy also pays for technology upgrades, security improvements and health services.

It helps pay for books and materials over and above what the state will pay for, and for teacher training. It also pays additional wages and benefits for teachers, support staff and administrators.

Ballots will be mailed to voters about three weeks before the election. They must be returned to the auditor’s office by Feb. 14.