Kennewick’s school levy failed, now the district is looking for answers

Kennewick school officials are considering cutting their next request to voters from a four-year levy to just two years.

But first, school leaders are looking to understand better why this month’s levy failed and are sending out a survey.

Kennewick’s four-year replacement educational programs and operations levy failed with 51 percent of voters opposing the measure. A replacement technology levy on the same ballot passed.

It was the first time the district had lost a levy election in more than 34 years. In the last election, the levy passed with 63% of the vote.

Of the 135 operations levies across Washington state this month, 17 failed, including those for Prosser and Finley schools.

In Kennewick, the levy and state equalization money accounts for 11% of the district’s budget.

It fills the gaps for programs and employees the state doesn’t cover, such as nurses, counselors, security officers, special education support, custodians, librarians, coaches, school sports and clubs.

The levy would replace a levy that already pays for those positions and programs but is expiring at the end of this year.

The soonest Kennewick could ask voters again to support a levy would be an April 26 special election.

But the board would have to approve the resolution for that by Friday, Feb. 25, to meet the ballot deadline.

The school board is expected to discuss the levy at its 5:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Levy concerns

School officials hope the survey will help them understand why the first measure failed.

Administrators told board members last week that some voters were concerned about the change in the increase in the levy rate from the first two years to the second two years.

School leaders planned to use $20 million in federal funding they received to help with COVID expenses to keep the levy rate lower in 2023 and 2024.

The proposed levy rate for the first two years was $1.75 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2023 and $1.90 per $1,000 the second year.

The third and fourth years the rate would have risen to $2.10 and then $2.35 per $1,000 of value.

The levy would have raised about $21.3 million the first year, $25.4 million the second, then $30.6 million and $37.3 million.

“I try to explain that, but it’s a large increase,” Vic Roberts, the district’s executive director of business operations, told the board. “They’re good questions everybody that called had.”

Board member Diane Sundvik said she also heard from retired people that with other costs increasing they were concerned they wouldn’t be able to afford it. She said she has seen places where increasing property tax rates have driven people out of their homes.

“Those are things that we need to be very thoughtful about,” she said. “I think this two year (levy), and then looking at it again, makes a lot of sense then.”

The newest board members, Gabe Galbraith and Micah Valentine, both said they believed the board’s decision not to take a stronger stance against the state mask mandate played a larger role than the jump in rates.

They expressed support for a two-year levy and said they wanted to have it pass this time.

“I did do some reaching out and trying to figure out why and what are the issues?” Galbraith said. “I think masks are one. I think the rates that I’m sure you got calls on ... And I think the third one, I would chalk it up to community engagement.”

Galbraith said he talked with 255 people who voted no, and there were 116 that said the board’s seeming indifference to the mask requirement was at least part of the issue.

“Most people wanted the communication from us as a board, sharing our thoughts on the mask issue,” he said. “Obviously this issue is not 50/50. We had 2,000 voters swing no on this levy and so we need to listen.”

Valentine said he wanted to find out what reasons the levy didn’t pass and make sure there is a plan in place to address those concerns.