Centralia School District to Ask Voters for Levy Increase

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The Centralia School District will ask voters to approve a more than 60 percent increase to its Educational Programs & Operations levy in February, though members of the Centralia School Board did not agree on the amount at a recent school board meeting. 

The ballot measure, set to appear on the ballot in Lewis County’s Feb. 11 special election, will ask voters for $2.50 per $1,000 in assessed property value, which is estimated to generate approximately $6.6 million in revenue for 2021. The rate is a $1 increase over the current $1.50 levy, set to expire in 2020. 

The levy pays for school programs that aren’t funded by the state or federal government, including transportation services, athletics, Career and Technical Education programs and the community indoor pool, said Ed Petersen, the district’s communications and public relations coordinator.

Board Vice President Jami Lund was the lone dissenting voice among the four members who voted to put the levy on the ballot. He argued that the new assessment would overtax low-to-medium income community members. 

Revenue per-student is up almost 10 percent in the last two years. To provide these funds, the state already increased property taxes by around 90 cents per thousand,” he stated in an email to The Chronicle.

Lund said district expenditures grew by $6.8 million in the 2017-2018 school year, while revenue increased $3.4 million. 

“The district needs to manage funds first before turning to a 66 percent increase in the levy as a bailout,” he said. “We shouldn't be raising taxes and rent on people making under $50,000 a year to cover a budget hole caused by giving a 24 percent raise, which jumped teacher salaries from $65,000 to $76,000.”

Lund argued that the 24 percent teacher salary increase is responsible for a host of existing issues districtwide, including cut services, delayed maintenance, increased class sizes and cuts to training. 

Fellow board member Lori Fast, conversely, said the levy would keep the district in financial good standing and, thus, allowing it to meet the needs of Centralians. 

“The board decided that this levy amount was our best option to be able to maintain and improve services for our students and families. We are also in the process of gathering information about what our families and our community would like to see us focus on in terms of budget priorities,” she said. 



Petersen disagreed with Lund’s statement that the levy would overburden residents earning less than $50,000 annually.

“Our levy doesn’t impact anyone by income level. It is a tax on property value and everyone pays the same rate — $2.50 per $1,000 in assessed value under the proposed levy,” he explained. 

Petersen said the levy would enable the district to provide a full-time counselor at each of its five elementary schools. The state, he said, only administers funding for approximately 2.5 full time equivalent employees for elementary school counselors. He also said the levy would help the district furnish important professional development for its staff.

A press release from the school district also factored in repayment of the district’s construction bonds, used to build two new elementary schools and remodel the high school.

“Because of substantial increases in community property values, our bond rate will fall significantly next year from $2.20 per thousand to $1.65 or lower,” Centralia School District Superintendent Mark Davalos said in the release. “Even though we are seeking to increase our levy by $1.00 per thousand, the reduction in the bond rate means the actual increase will only be about 45 cents, for a total of about $4.15 per thousand.” 

Fast confirmed those numbers and also assured that the board is committed to increasing its budget transparency. She said the school district is making efforts to communicate and have information available to let the community know how money is being spent. 

“The state has changed its funding model over the past several years, and it has created challenges for districts across the state. We are working diligently to be good stewards of our taxpayers' money,” she observed. 

In the meantime, Petersen maintains that his office will be sharing a lot of “important” information with the public over the next three months prior to the Feb. 11 special election. He went on to say how the district intends to use the election process as an “education opportunity” in local schools.