Post urging school levy ‘no’ vote pulled from Kennewick councilman’s site

The Facebook site of a newly-elected Kennewick councilman and father of six urged voters to oppose the Kennewick School District replacement levy.

However, Loren Anderson told the Tri-City Herald on Monday that he didn’t know about the post on his Facebook campaign site and he has taken no stance on the two Feb. 8 school levies.

He said he only learned of the Jan. 22 post when the Herald contacted him on Monday morning.

“It sucks that our kids might suffer a little bit but they’re going to suffer a lot more by having to be forced to wear a mask and the mask issue is all about money and getting funding!!” said the post on the Vote Loren — Kennewick City Council Facebook page.

Anderson said the post, which was taken down shortly before the Tri-City Herald contacted him, was not authorized by him.

Several people helping with his campaign had been posting to the page but he was not aware the page was still active, he said.

He was glad the post was taken down, he told the Herald in an email.

“However, I am sorely disappointed with what our local school administration has done to fight for the education of our children,” he told the Herald.

“There has been a lot of posturing on behalf of the teacher’s union and the adults involved, but very little effort to help our kids return to normal education. Much harm has been done to the educational quality of instruction,” he said.

He called almost all of his children’s teachers “phenomenal” and said they work very hard for their students.

“The teacher’s union? Much less so,” he said.

Kennewick School District leadership has said that if the district does not follow mask mandates, a larger share of district funding that the levy would be at risk.

The Washington state superintendent of public instruction has issued regulations saying that state Washington schools who willfully violate state COVID-19 health mandates, such as requiring masks in schools, risk losing state funding.

In the Kennewick district, that levy money and just the additional match from the state, account for 11% of the district’s annual operating budget to pay for most nurses and extra security at schools, as well as computers, sports, clubs, special education, custodians and more.

“THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MIGHT NEED TO HURT A LITTLE BIT AND FEEL THE CRUNCH IN THE PUSH OF THE PARENTS RESISTING,” said the post on Anderson’s page.

The Kennewick School District has two replacement levies on the ballot in the Feb. 8 special election.

Both the operations levy and the technology improvements levy replace the levies voters approved four years ago that expire at the end of this year, according to the Benton County, Wash., Voters Pamphlet.

Anderson campaigned on health

Voters picked Anderson, a Kennewick dentist, for a council seat over former Mayor Pro Tem Steve Lee in November.

Lee posted a response on Anderson’s Facebook post, asking, “How does voting down the levy get rid of the masking requirement?”

Anderson, a newcomer to politics, said in his campaign that he wanted healthy options for city residents. He was endorsed by the Benton County Republican Party.

“My emphasis and my focus is really health and I think of that we’ve learned from COVID and the illness we see, health has to be a priority and a focus for all of us,” he told the Tri-City Herald editorial board as he campaigned for the Kennewick council position.

What levies pay for

The largest of the two levies on the ballot, the operations levy, could collect up to $21.25 million in 2023.

The tax rate next year would be $1.75 per $1,000 of assessed value and cost the owner of a $200,000 home about $350 a year.

The current rate that ends this year is $1.65 per $1,000.

Along with the money the district receives from the levy, having a levy means the district gets additional money. For example, the district received $17 million this year from the levy and an additional $14.5 million from the state in levy equalization funding, for a total of $31.8 million.

While the state pays for basic education, there are several items that fall outside of what they will pay for.

“These funds support teacher and support staff; special education; extracurricular activities including athletics, drama and music; security and safety; nurses and counselors; maintenance staff; transportation operations and staff professional development,” according to the statement in favor of the levy.

The technology levy pays for student and school computers, classroom technology, digital resources and technologies for students with special needs.

It also would pay for the staff who maintain equipment and professional development, according to a statement in favor in the voter pamphlet.

The tax rate starts at 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value next year, costing the owner of a $200,000 house $70 a year.

It would collect $4.25 million in 2023.

Washington funds at risk

The state money that the district would put at risk by not following state mandates could be much larger than the amount the two levies would collect.

In August, Kennewick Superintendent Traci Pierce told the Herald that “state officials have clearly communicated that state and federal funds will be withheld if districts do not follow COVID-related rules.”

The state funding pays for about 76% of the 2021-22 budget funding and federal funding makes up about 13%, while levy and levy equalization money accounts for about 11%, according to information posted online by the Kennewick School District.

Tri-City Herald reporter Cameron Probert contributed to this report.

This story was originally published January 31, 2022 at 12:56 PM.