Royal schools EP&O levy on Feb. 10 ballot

ROYAL CITY — Royal School District voters will be asked to accept or reject a two-year educational programs and operations levy in a special election Feb. 10. If it’s approved, the levy would replace an existing levy approved by voters in 2024. 

Royal Superintendent Roger Trail said levy money plays a crucial role in the district. 

“At its core, the levy is about students and the learning experience we're able to provide every day,” Trail said. “The local levy funding allows the district to offer programs, support and opportunities that go beyond basic state funding. These dollars directly support classroom instruction, student activity, safety and the people who work with students every day.” 

Most state and federal education funding is allocated to specific uses and can only be spent on those uses. Levy money is allocated to specific uses, but it’s up to the district to make those allocations. Trail said that as a result, levy money can be used to pay for programs that can’t be paid for any other way.  

“An example would be our school resource officer,” Trail said. “We were able to leverage (levy) funding for that.” 

If it’s approved, the levy is projected to raise about $2.01 million in 2027 and $2.11 million in 2028. Property owners would pay $1.63 per $1,000 of assessed property value both years if the levy is approved. A landowner with property valued at $250,000 would pay $407.50 per year in taxes. A person with property valued at $300,000 would pay $489 per year in taxes. 

Royal will also be eligible for levy assistance if the levy passes. That’s money allocated by the state to districts that pass a levy but have relatively lower property values. The district would receive an estimated $5.16 million in levy assistance funding over the two years if it passes.   

The levy also helps make up gaps in cases where RSD must comply with state regulations but doesn’t receive adequate funding. Trail cited teacher sick leave policies as an example. 

“We're required to provide 11 sick days for all of our employees, but for our teachers and our certificated staff, we're only allocated funding for four days of substitutes for the teachers. We have to make up those kinds of things with our levy funds,” Trail said. 

State officials have failed to take rising expenses into account.  

“Our insurance costs, for example, have gone up $400,000 to $600,000 in the last few years, but the state has not adjusted for that,” Trail said.  

While the levy money helps make up for funding shortfalls, Trail said RSD has some local uses for that money, too. 

“We do like to use the levy for things that it was originally intended for, above and beyond (funding shortfalls). Like our music programs, our athletic programs, after-school programs, robotics and (others),” he said. 

Ballots will be mailed later this week and must be returned to the Grant County Auditor’s Office on or before Feb. 10. Ballots mailed on Election Day may not be postmarked on that day. People can take the ballot to the post office window and ask for it to be stamped with the day’s date.  

County elections officials also maintain a ballot drop box in Royal City. It’s located in the parking lot at 101 Camelia St. NE, and is open until 8 p.m. Election Day.  

    Royal’s Fischer Livingston escapes from a defender in a 2025 game. High school and middle school sports are completely funded through the district’s educational programs and operations levy.