Wahluke SD to run revised levy proposal while Othello SD defers bond decision
Othello High School students go to and from the 600 wing of the high school during a class change. Upgrades to the 600 wing were part of a construction bond proposal rejected by Othello School District voters earlier this month.
Ed Petersen/courtesy photo
Othello High School students in a classroom in the 600 wing, which was slated for remodeling or replacement. No specific remodeling proposal or firm plans to replace the wing were available prior to voters casting their ballots.
Othello High School’s 600 wing, pictured, will remain unchanged after voters rejected a construction bond in a special election earlier this month. District officials have yet to decide whether to go out for a bond again in the fall.
ATTAWA — The Wahluke School Board has decided to submit a revised educational programs and operations levy proposal to district voters in April. Othello School District officials will be talking to district patrons before deciding whether or not to resubmit a bond proposal.
Both the levy proposal and the bond proposal were rejected by voters in the special election Feb. 8, according to results from the Washington Secretary of State’s office.
WSD rerun
Wahluke’s two-year levy proposal failed by a narrow margin, 294 no votes to 281 yes votes. Because it was a school EP&O levy, the proposal required a simple majority, 50% plus one vote, to pass.
The levy would’ve generated $2.23 million in 2023 and $2.35 million in 2024 for WSD. District Superintendent Andy Harlow said board members voted to submit a revised levy proposal to district residents during the Feb. 15 board meeting.
Property owners would still pay the same amount with the revised proposal, $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. But if it passes the new levy would be in effect for four years, rather than two.
Harlow said he was encouraged that Wahluke’s levy proposal got nearly 50%, compared to about 41% for a capital projects levy in 2021. He said board members and district officials want to hear from the people that voted no.
“We want to know why,” Harlow said.
He especially wants to hear from people who don’t normally support the levies or bonds.
“Let’s hear what they have to say,” he said.
District officials want to know if the dissatisfaction is caused by something the district has done, or if people have other reasons, he said. The people he has talked to have cited a number of reasons for dissatisfaction, Harlow said, and he’s interested in hearing more.
“I feel like we’ve learned a lot,” he said.
One lesson is that district officials need to improve their communication, he said. Some information may have been presented in a confusing format. And some voters dropped off their ballots at school after the election date had already passed, indicating some confusion about the election process.
OSD proposal
Othello’s proposal was a construction bond, and as a result required 60% approval to pass. It failed with 764 no votes and 651 yes votes.
The $51 million bond would’ve been used for upgrades and expansion at Othello High School and McFarland Middle School, as well as new gyms at Lutacaga, Hiawatha and Scootney Springs elementary schools.
OSD Director of Communications Ed Petersen said district officials want to talk to, and hear from, district voters before deciding what to do next. The goal is to talk to parents as well as voters who don’t have kids in school, business leaders, teachers and other school personnel and anyone else who has something to say, he said.
“We’re going to go on a listen-and-learn tour, for sure,” Petersen said.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.
