School-funding ballots due Tuesday

Time is running out to vote in Tuesday’s special election. Election results will be available around 8:15 p.m. at www.clarkvotes.org. A sample ballot is available on the website.

Six school districts — Evergreen, Green Mountain, Hockinson, La Center, Ridgefield and Vancouver — are seeking multiyear maintenance and operations levies to replace expiring levies. The Camas School District is the lone district with a bond measure on the ballot.

Ballots must be postmarked by Feb. 9 to be valid, or dropped off at one of the county’s authorized drop locations before 8 p.m. Election Day. The three authorized 24-hour ballot drop boxes are at:

• Battle Ground City Hall, 109 S.W. First St., Battle Ground.

• Fishers Landing Transit Center, 3510 S.E. 64th Ave.

• Downtown Vancouver at West 14th and Esther streets.

Levies require a simple majority — 50 percent plus one vote — to be approved by voters.

Bonds, which require a super majority, must be approved by 60 percent of the qualified voters voting in the school district. In addition, the total number of voters casting ballots at the election cannot be less than 40 percent of the number of votes cast in the last state general election, said Cathie Garber, elections director.

“The biggest message is that this is to replace the levy we currently have. We have to go to the voters to authorize it every so often,” said John Deeder, superintendent of Evergreen Public Schools. “We’re not asking for huge increases. We’re asking to maintain the current programs.”

In what is known as the McCleary decision, the state’s top court, which has held the Legislature in contempt of court, has directed lawmakers to end a reliance on local school levies to pay for basic education.

When asked what confidence he has in state legislators addressing the McCleary decision this year to fully fund basic education, Deeder replied: “None. Zero. I am anticipating zero movement. That’s why this levy is so important. We’re probably going to live with this levy before things get fixed.”

Steve Webb, superintendent at Vancouver Public Schools, agreed with Deeder.

“I do not expect a McCleary grand bargain in the (legislative) short session. I don’t believe there is the political will to get it done this year,” Webb said. “What has emerged is a bill to create yet another planning task force to ‘plan for the plan’ in hopes of satisfying the Court’s contempt order.”

Webb added that districts must continue to go to voters to approve local levies “until such time that the Legislature fulfills its constitutional paramount duty” to maintain basic education programs and services.

Schools in Washington are funded through a combination of federal, state and local dollars. About 7 to 11 percent of a district’s budget is federal funds distributed to states. The majority of school district budgets — from 68 to 75 percent — comes through the state’s general fund, from statewide sales tax and property tax revenues. About 18 to 24 percent of a district’s budget comes from property taxes.

Levy money fills the gap between the basic education funding provided by the state and the current operating budget of a district.

School districts use the proceeds from maintenance and operations levies to pay for a variety of programs not funded by the state, including extra teachers and staff, and extracurricular programs such as athletics and student field trips.