Thurston County school districts use levies to maintain staff, programs
Thurston County voters are receiving special election ballots from school districts seeking approval of local funding measures for students and schools.
In the Feb. 11 election, all eight Thurston County school districts are seeking Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) replacement levies to fund learning programs and student opportunities, maintain staffing levels, and ensure funding for day-to-day school needs such as textbooks and instructional materials. These levies are not new taxes — they all replace expiring local levies that voters approved in prior years.
Some of our districts (Griffin, North Thurston, Rochester and Tumwater) are also asking for bonds or capital levies to reinvest in current school buildings, replace aging schools, add classroom space, make safety improvements, or plan for future growth. The state doesn’t provide funding for major school rebuilding projects, but does provide some financial assistance when local voters approve construction projects. Bonds need 60 percent approval from voters, while levies require a simple 50 percent majority vote.
While the state did generate some additional school funding with the so-called “McCleary fix,” the state still does not fully fund the cost of providing public education to our students. Our schools rely on renewing these local levies to continue providing staff, smaller class sizes, programs and opportunities needed for students beyond basic state funding.
The state has a “prototypical funding model” based on enrollment for what it will fund for services, such as school nurses, counselors, school safety officers or librarians. Unfortunately, these staffing levels are inadequate and do not meet today’s student needs.
All our districts face similar shortfalls, but here are some specific examples of how local levies help us fill in the funding gaps not provided by the state:
Nurses: For North Thurston Public Schools, the state funds two registered nurses to serve our more than 15,000 students. Levies fund the difference, allowing us to have eight school nurses serving the district.
Counselors: For Olympia School District, the state funds 18.9 counselors to serve 10,000 students. The district employs 30.
Support staff: For Tumwater School District, levy dollars make up about half of the funding for positions such as nurses, paraeducators, counselors, librarians, custodians and safety personnel. The state funds 25.5 of these positions, while the district employs a total of 50.9, thanks to continued levy funding.
Athletics: For Yelm Community Schools, in addition to funding the kinds of support staff listed above, the levy renewal funds $1.4 million for athletics – coaches, transportation and equipment. The state provides no funding for athletics.
In addition, local levies fund student opportunities such as robotics, music and theater. Levies also help fund access to critical programs such as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), special education and advanced learning. Voter-approved dollars also help pay for nutrition services and transportation to and from school for our students. These dollars make up the difference between what the state funds and what our students need.
We know there is confusion around what the state funds and what our own communities fund for our schools. We continue to work with our state Legislature to find ways to ensure our schools receive the funding needed for our students to succeed.
Public education remains the backbone of our communities. Whether or not you have children in our districts, we know our communities understand the value that high-quality K-12 education brings. We are educating the next generation of leaders, and strong schools help us build a strong community and a bright future.
We urge you to learn more about each of our districts, our successes, and our funding needs. And we ask you all to please remember to turn in your ballots by Feb. 11!
Greg Woods, Griffin School District
Debra Clemens, North Thurston Public Schools
Patrick Murphy, Olympia School District
Bryon Bahr, Rainier School District
Kim Fry, Rochester School District
Joseph Belmonte, Tenino School District
Sean Dotson, Tumwater School District
Brian Wharton, Yelm Community Schools
This story was originally published January 29, 2020 at 5:45 AM.