Ephrata schools to move forward with spring levy election
The Ephrata School District Board voted unanimously to place a levy measure on the Feb. 2025 ballot for residents to vote on. The previous levy is set to expire at the end of 2025. If the presented levy is passed by voters in the spring, the district will begin to receive the funds in 2026.
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EPHRATA – The Ephrata School District Board unanimously approved a motion to run an Educational Programs and Operations levy on the February 2025 ballot. The levy is not a new tax but instead will replace the 2021 voter-approved levy which will expire in 2025.
The collection for the proposed levy will begin in 2026 and continue until 2029. The estimated levy rate is $1.85 per $1,000 of assessed property value per year.
Since the Ephrata School District is also considered a property-poor district, if the levy passes the school district will receive Local Effort Assistance from the state. LEA would give the school district around $3.2 million annually in additional state funding.
The collections for the years of 2026 through 2029 are $2.71 million, $2.82 million, $2.93 million and $3.05 respectively.
“Ephrata is the smallest district in the Central Washington Athletic Conference, yet we often have the most student athletes participating in the league,” said Ephrata Superintendent Ken Murray in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. “Levies support roughly 1,100 participants in middle and high school sports, 600 participants in K-12 activities like Lego Robotics, Math Club, band and choir, and provide essential funding that supports classroom learning and keeps students safe.”