Tri-Cities area schools ask voters for $10M for teachers, sports and school safety
Rural Tri-Cities area School Districts are asking voters to pass nearly $9.8 million in taxes funding basic education, athletics and instructional materials during the Feb. 11 special election.
Both Kiona-Benton City School District and Finley School District will ask voters to renew their programs and operations levies. Additionally, Finley is asking for a new two-year capital levy to fund security and technology improvements.
Ballots were mailed out Wednesday to registered voters by the Benton County Elections Division. In order to be counted on time, they must be postmarked by election day for mail return or dropped in a county certified ballot box before 8 p.m. on election day.
Voters may register to vote, transfer or update an existing registration online or by mail through Monday, Feb. 3. Afterwards, those changes must be made in person at Benton County Voting Centers, located at 620 Market Street in Prosser or 7122 West Okanogan Place in Kennewick.
In Washington state, levies fund learning and education programs. They require a simple majority — greater than 50% — to pass. While the state funds “basic education,” local dollars that come from levies fund the difference between what the state provides and what schools need to serve every student.
Levies are different from bond measures, which are used to fund new school construction and capital projects.
A variety of tax relief and deferral options are available to most seniors, people with disabilities and widows, according to the Washington Department of Revenue.
Election results will be certified Feb. 21.
Ki-Be replacement programs and operations levy
Ki-Be School District is proposing a two-year, $4.9 million replacement levy to fund athletics, music, technology support, special education, nurses, counselors and teachers to keep class sizes small.
It would replace the current two-year levy, which voters approved in February 2023 and expires at the end of this year. The proposed tax rate would remain the same at $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, and would be collected in 2026 and 2027.
The burden on a home valued at $400,000 would be $600 annually, or $50 per month.
Local funding makes up nearly 8% of Ki-Be School District’s revenue. That’s nearly $1.9 million of $24 million in total revenue.
School tax rates for Benton City have been on a steady decline since 2017, district staff say.
Kiona-Benton City enrolls about 1,400 students with an average class size of about 20 students, according to OSPI Report Card data. It employs about 85 teachers.
Finley replacement programs and operations levy
Finley School District is proposing a two-year, $4.4 million replacement levy to fund teachers to keep class sizes small, support staff, school safety measures, instructional materials, special education, athletics, and building maintenance and operations.
It would collect a maximum $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value in both 2026 and 2027. That rate is greater than what it has levied over the past two years, about $1.70 per every $1,000 of assessed value.
The burden on a home valued at $400,000 would be about $1,000 annually, or $83 per month. That would be an increase of about $316.
But voters often never end up paying the proposed rate, the district says, due to rising property values. Districts only collect the total amount, not the rate. For example, Finley’s 2023 levy listed rate of $2.25 on the ballot when in reality it taxed a rate of $1.70.
Finley would also receive an additional $421,000 in state match if the levy passes. About 12% of the Finley School District budget comes from local levy and state matching dollars.
The district estimates it will have a $2.9 million budget shortfall in the 2025-26 school year without the levy funds.
“We are anticipating making some reductions with the passing of the EP&O levy. If voters do do not approve the 2025 EP&O levy, the district will need to identify approximately $2 million of budget reductions for the 25-26 school year,” district staff say on their information page.
Finley security and technology levy
Finley School District is also asking voters to pass a new, two-year $410,000 capital levy to fund technology upgrades and modernizations, as well as safety and security improvements at schools.
Capital levies are different from enrichment levies in that they don’t fund education programs and extracurricular activities. The levy cap for most Washington state school districts is the lesser of $2,500 per student or $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The capital levy, which needs to pass with more than 50% support, would tax about 23 cents on every $1,000 of assessed value, to be collected in 2026 and 2027. The burden on a home valued at $400,000 would be about $92 annually, or $8 per month.
Several pieces of hardware in the district are in need of replacement, including its firewall, Wi-Fi access points, servers and security cameras. The levy would also fund the replacement of student and staff laptops.
Finley School District enrolls about 900 students, according to Report Card data. It employs about 53 teachers with an average class size of about 17 students.
This story was originally published January 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
