By Allison Espiritu
Staff Reporter
The Snoqualmie Valley School District approved two four-year levies at the Thursday, Oct. 22, regular meeting, green-lighting them for the polls in 2010.
A maintenance and operations levy and a technology levy will be on the Feb. 9 election. Both replace current local funding that expires after 2010.
Replacing a proposition approved by voters in 2006, the maintenance and operations levy would make up the difference between what the district receives from the state of Washington and the federal government, and what is required to fund the programs currently offered in the school district.
The levy will collect $57,530,000 over four years. The levy rate rises from $2 per $1,000 in assessed home value in 2011 to $2.46 per $1,000 in assessed home value in 2014.
Levy dollars pay for educational programs and school operation costs, including staff support, course offerings, custodial services, activity and athletic programs, transportation costs, supplies, and professional training.
According to district officials, the levy will help Snoqualmie schools keep up with neighboring districts. Snoqualmie schools have one of the lowest per-pupil revenues in the state, ranking 290th out of 295 Washington school districts.
Tech levy
Also in the hands of voters, the technology levy collects about $2.5 million between 2011 and 2014. The rate proceeds from 40 cents per $1,000 in assessed home value in 2011 to 37 cents per $1,000 in home value in 2014.
Roughly 57 percent of funds would go towards refreshing or replacing existing outdated technology, enhancing classroom technologies and improving emergency communications/safety systems. The remaining 43 percent of funding would be used for professional development of classroom-centric technologies to maximize student learning and interaction.
Because technology is not included in the state’s definition of basic eduction, all school technology and training to use and teach it must come from funds approved by local voters, district officials said.
Ballots that will include both levies will be mailed-out by Jan. 22 for the Feb. 9 vote.
