Voters renew all school levies in Benton, Franklin counties

Operations levies up for renewal in eight school districts in Benton and Franklin counties were all approved by voters in Tuesday’s special election, a few resoundingly.

Richland voters were the most emphatic in the Tri-Cities, with 72 percent of ballots in support of renewing that school district’s levy. The Kennewick levy had 65 percent approval while Pasco’s levy passed with 57 percent.

“Our community is very supportive,” Kennewick board President Dawn Adams told the Herald. “It’s particularly heartwarming to know voters respect the district and value education.”

The levy in the North Franklin School District had 63 percent approval, about the same as the 64 percent the Finley levy garnered. Kiona-Benton voters passed their levy with 54 percent.

Small rural districts Kahlotus and Paterson had the highest approval rates for their levies at 75 percent.

Turnout was relatively low—26 percent in Franklin County and 29 percent in Benton County. There are still about 3,000 ballots left to count in Benton County and a little under 1,000 in Franklin County, but they are unlikely to alter the initial results released Tuesday night.

Maintenance and operation levies often provide between 15 percent to 20 percent of a school district’s annual budget.

The money from levies can’t be used to build new schools, but officials have said that without levy funds they would struggle to support school athletics or fine arts programs such as music. The money also pays for building maintenance, school resource officers, and school nurses and counselors, among other things not covered by state dollars.

“Those levy dollars benefit every student every day,” said Pasco board President Scott Lehrman, adding he and the rest of his board were grateful for voters’ support.

It’s been years since a Tri-City school district’s voters refused to renew an operations levy. They mostly pass high above the just over 50 percent threshold required. Adams wasn’t surprised Kennewick’s levy was renewed, given voters’ record of support, she said.

In Richland, the board and district administrators were meeting when the results were released. When they were announced — with levy approval coming in north of 70 percent — several district staff and those in the audience sounded mildly shocked at how high it was.

Boosters and advocates in each district have campaigned for the past several weeks with advertising and yard signs to ensure not only that people support the levy renewals, but actually vote in an election that historically sees less than a third of mailed ballots returned.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 8:53 PM with the headline "Voters renew all school levies in Benton, Franklin counties."