Lind and Ritzville school districts propose increased levies in special election

The Lind and Ritzville school districts have two property tax levies they are asking for in a special election on Feb. 11.

Ballots will be mailed on Jan. 24. Voters will be asked to approve or reject a replacement Educational Programs and Operation Levy and a new two-year Capital Levy. Both levies are for 2021 and 2022.

The first levy replaces an expiring levy passed in 2018 for 2019 and 2020. The school districts are requesting an increase from what the expiring levy funded. In Ritzville, the school district is asking for an increase to $2.31 per $1,000 of property value. The Lind district is asking for $1.50 per $1,000 in value. The expiring levy rate in both districts was $1.50 per $1,000 of value.

The increase requested by Ritzville is due to the state legislature raising the limit districts could collect in levies.

Both districts are also asking for a new levy to upgrade and maintain technology. In Ritzville, this new levy would be $0.13 per $1,000 value. In Lind, it’s $0.14.

After the so called McCleary Decision--a case in which the Washington Supreme Court ruled that Washington lawmakers were not adequately funding public schools as required by the state constitution--state lawmakers raised the funding of schools.

But as they gave with one hand, they took with the other because they also lowered the amount local districts could ask for from levies. This led to issues as school districts across the state announced they may have to operate in the red.

This led to the $1.50 per $1,000 value seen for 2019 and 2020. Before that, Ritzville collected $2.86 per $1,000 in value in 2018 and $2.88 in 2017.

In 2019, after seeing school boards struggle with the reduced levies, lawmakers increased the amount districts can ask for. For a school district the size of Ritzville and Lind, the limit is now $2.50 per $1,000, or $2,500 per student, whichever comes first. In both districts, the $2,500 amount comes first.

Lind-Ritzville Schools Superintendent Don Vanderholm said the $2.31 figure Ritzville is asking for and the $1.50 figure requested in Lind puts both districts at the $2,500 per student mark.

Vanderholm says the levies are needed because despite lawmakers feeling that they have complied with the court’s mandate to fully fund education, some important items are not being funded without the levies.

For example, the Ritzville School District employs two full-time district staffers, but the state only provides funding for 1.21 employees. The district employs a nurse at 30% of full-time, but the state only funds a nurse for 5% of full time.

In addition to staff salaries, the replacement levy will also fund general facility maintenance, food service and other items.

Vanderholm says the new levy for technology will help provide students with the best opportunity for learning.

“We want our students to be able to compete in the state, national and global market,” Vanderholm said.”