The Centralia School District was passing its replacement levy by 12 votes after Friday morning’s tally, according to the state’s official voter information portal, votewa.gov.
The district needs a total of 50% plus one vote to pass the levy.
The proposed three-year educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy intends to replace the current levy, which expires Dec. 31, 2026. The new levy would begin in January 2027.
The district needed just five votes to pass its replacement levy after Thursday afternoon’s tally, following a tie earlier in the day.
As of Friday morning, 2,575 voters had responded yes to the levy, while 2,563 voters had responded no. In Lewis County specifically, 2,537 voters had responded yes to the levy and 2,494 had responded no. In Thurston County, 38 responded yes and 69 responded no.
Lewis County Elections Manager Jolene Manuel said there were no ballots left to count after Friday morning’s tally, but noted the results won’t be certified until Friday, Feb. 20.
Mailed ballots that arrive after election day but were postmarked by Feb. 10 are still eligible.
It also remains unclear whether any additional ballots will come from Thurston County, though the state’s results page indicates there are no estimated ballots left to count.
The Centralia School District includes sections in the Grand Mound and Bucoda areas. Many students who live in those areas attend schools in the Rochester and Tenino school districts.
The levy has been inching closer to its passing mark ever since the first results came in Tuesday. Wednesday afternoon’s multi-county total showed 2,414 votes for yes and 2,452 votes for no — a difference of 38 votes.
Thursday's overall numbers brought the district even closer to passing its levy.
Friday put them over the top.
On Wednesday, Centralia School District Superintendent Lisa Grant said the district was hopeful it would receive good news once the remaining votes were tallied, but expressed disappointment in the early numbers.
Grant maintained that message of hope during a district study hall session on Thursday. She added that any remaining military ballots would be counted until Feb. 19.
The Centralia levy vote comes after a robust campaign effort that included door-to-door outreach, community forums and a detailed levy page on the district’s website featuring an FAQ, line-item breakdown of how the money would be used, and even a levy calculator.
On Jan. 13, the Centralia City Council passed a resolution 6-1 in support of the levy, with Tucker Voetberg supplying the lone opposition.
Other prominent local figures voiced their support as well, including Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope, state Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Chehalis, and the members of the Centralia Community Foundation.
The proposed levy would tax homeowners $1.70 per $1,000 of assessed property value in its first year for a total of $7,150,000. Five-cent increases in years two and three would net the district approximately $7,640,000 and $8,157,000 in property taxes.
According to the district, a typical owner of a $400,000 home would pay $56.66 per month or $680 per year. The current levy taxes homeowners about $49.22 per month, or $590.66 per year.
A passing levy would allow the district to continue funding a wide range of programs and services, including K-12 athletics, visual and performing arts, outdoor education, counselors, nurses, mental health specialists, summer school, technology and more.
The levy would also provide a buffer to cover inflationary costs.
A levy failure, on the other hand, would likely result in budget cuts affecting teaching positions, school sports, art, music, counseling and more, according to the district.
The February special election also featured two EP&O levies from the Boistfort School District and the Onalaska School District. Both were passing at 76.81% and 54.99%, respectively, as of Friday morning.
Out of the 20,914 registered voters available to vote in the three elections in Lewis County, 7,175 cast votes, a turnout of roughly 34%.
That percentage could increase slightly as more mailed-in votes are counted.
The count is ongoing. Look for updates at chronline.com.
