Several Mid-Columbia school districts have maintenance and operations levies up for election next week.
The last day for voters to cast their ballots is Tuesday. The Tri-City Herald has extensive election coverage at tricityherald.com/election .
Maintenance and operations levies help districts with daily costs that aren't fully covered by the state, such as music and art programs, sports, library and security staff, utilities and transportation.
Also at stake in Mid-Columbia levy elections is what's called "levy equalization." That's money given to districts with low property values to help level the playing field with their more affluent counterparts.
Districts that qualify get the money if their levies pass.
In the Tri-City area, none of the levy measures on the ballot is a new tax and instead would replace an existing levy that expires this year.
Here's a roundup of measures on the ballot:
w Richland School District's two-year levy would collect $17.3 million in 2011 and $18.3 million in 2012. On the net: rsd.edu .
w Kennewick School District's two-year levy would collect $19.3 million in 2011 and
$20.6 million in 2012. On the net: ksd.org .
w Pasco School District's two-year levy would collect $18.45 million in 2011 and $19 million in 2012. On the net: psd1.org .
w Finley School District's two-year levy would collect $1.4 million in 2011 and $1.45 million in 2012. On the net: finleysd.org .
w Kiona-Benton City School District's two-year levy would collect $2.15 million in 2011 and $2.27 million in 2012. On the net:
kibesd.org .
w Prosser School District's two-year levy would collect $3.37 million in 2011 and
$3.47 million in 2012. On the net: prosserschools.org. .
w North Franklin School District's two-year levy would collect $1.7 million in 2011 and
$1.75 million in 2012. On the net: nfsd.org .
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YAKIMA -- Yakima School District officials are asking the city's voters to put more money into the district by increasing the local maintenance and operations levy.
The proposal on the Feb. 14 ballot is to collect almost $54.2 million from 2013-16. The levy is an 8.4 percent increase over the one that voters passed in 2008.
With more than 14,500 students, Yakima is by far the largest district in the area. And its levy is by far the largest on ballot. West Valley School District's $16.8 million two-year levy is a distant second.
Mid-Columbia school levies passing
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Mid-Columbia voters showed their love for schools and their students Tuesday by approving a slew of maintenance and operations levies.
Most of the levies on the ballot were passing by 60 percent or more in preliminary results.
The measures require 50 percent voter approval, but in a handful of districts -- Richland, Prosser, Paterson, Kahlotus -- the approval rates were reaching 70 percent or higher.
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School districts ask Mid-Columbia voters to extend levies
Mid-Columbia voters already have started to receive ballots asking them to consider school levies district officials say are needed to continue providing money for school operations and maintenance.
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"They'd probably be the first to go if we didn't continue (the levy)," said Justin Raffa, chairman of the Richland Citizens for Good Schools committee.
Richland, Pasco districts approve levy amounts
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Tri-City voters will be asked to show their school districts some love next Valentine's Day.
The three big school districts' operations tax levies are up for renewal in the Feb. 14 election.
The Richland and Pasco school boards Tuesday set the amounts they will put before voters. The Kennewick School Board is scheduled to vote on a levy resolution at tonight's meeting.
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Prosser seeks replacement levy
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Prosser seeks replacement levy
PROSSER — The Prosser School District is asking voters to replace the maintenance and operations levy due to expire this year.
And district officials strongly remind them it’s almost exactly the same amount as before.
“I purposely didn’t ask for a penny more,” said Ray Tolcacher, Prosser superintendent, of the proposed tax rate.
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