Adams, S. Grant Co. EP&O levy requests being approved

EPHRATA — Educational and operations levy requests in three Grant County are still winning approval by substantial margins in three local school districts in updated election results released Wednesday.  

Wahluke School District was approving the district’s four-year request with 262 yes votes and 222 no votes. Wahluke Superintendent Andy Harlow said district officials are grateful to district patrons for the support. 

“It’s exciting for our kids, it’s exciting for the staff, it’s exciting for the community,” he said.  

Teachers, students and administrators have worked to connect with the community, and it’s paid off, he said.  

“We’ve done a lot of work going back to the summer,” he said.  

District officials are going to keep working on strengthening connections, he said, with programs like Spanish classes in Desert Aire and student community service projects. 

“We have some amazing opportunities in the future to build even better relationships with people,” Harlow said. 

A four-year levy is passing in the Quincy School District with 933 yes votes and 500 no votes. Quincy Superintendent Nic Bergman said it’s one of the highest approval percentages in Central Washington. 

“This reflects our community’s continued commitment to public education and, most importantly, to our students, families and staff,” Bergman said in a statement after the vote. “Thank you so very much for your encouragement and partnership,” he said. 

Quincy School Board members know what they’ve asked of district voters. 

“We remain committed to following through on our promises by allocating resources responsibly, transparently and in alignment with the programs and opportunities outlined during the levy improvement process,” Bergman said.  

Royal School District voters are approving a two-year levy, 292 yes votes to 170 no votes, and Royal Superintendent Roger Trail gave credit to district patrons.  

“(The Royal community) has stepped up once again to fill the gap between what we receive in basic funding and what is needed to provide excellent programs that engage every student,” he wrote in a statement. “We are so thankful for your continued trust and investment in our students, our schools and our communities’ future.” 

The levy will allow the district to provide opportunities and pay for services that might not be available otherwise, from the school resource officer program to music and band to technology, he said. 

“We are committed to being good stewards of the resources voters have provided,” Trail said.