Did Finley voters pass $3M school levy vital for sports, teacher funding?
Finley educators breathed a huge sigh of relief Tuesday night after voters overwhelmingly passed the school district’s two-year, $3.45 million replacement operations levy.
Proposition No. 1 had 61%, or 658 ballots, in support and 39%, or 413 ballots, against it.
The lead is about 245 votes. The Benton County Elections Department estimates just 150 ballots are left to tally.
The district needed a simple majority — more than 50% approval — in order to pass.
About 1,070 ballots have been counted so far in the April 22 special election, and turnout stands at 34%. More than 3,100 registered voters live in the small Benton County school district.
Superintendent Bryan Long on Wednesday thanked community members for stepping up and for exercising their right to vote.
He said it was a “day of celebration” for their staff and was hopeful the final tally would reflect the “strongest support from our community in over a decade.”
“The message that we’re hearing today is the community values education, values our schools and values what we do on the day to day. It’s an honor to serve in this community and I’m really excited for the days ahead,” he told the Herald.
The proposition captured 200 more votes of support compared to another replacement measure the district ran unsuccessfully on the Feb. 11 special election ballot.
Finley budget shortfall
It’s a big day for teachers, administrators and athletics stakeholders, but there’s still tough budget decisions ahead.
Without the money, Finley would have needed to identify $2 million in budget cuts for the 2025-26 school year. It was prepared to cut about two dozen teachers and staff and cancel all athletics to achieve that.
But the district will still need to make some cuts for the next year, likely around $1 million, because voters in February rejected a larger $4.4 million levy that would have funded the district closer to what it needed.
Athletics will be retained, but with some cuts to middle school teams, summer camps and transportation. Clubs, supplemental curriculum and classroom subscriptions will also see cuts, with about five teaching positions and 10 classified positions slashed.
Regardless of the levy outcome, Finley administrators are also heavily considering moving to a four-day-a-week school calendar next year, a move that would save hundreds of thousands of dollars and hopefully improving academic outcomes for students.
Long hopes savings from the calendar change will also save some of the 15 positions expected to be on the chopping block.
Finley’s full-time enrollment is about 840. The district in the unincorporated area east of Kennewick serves K-12 students in three schools: Finley Elementary, Finley Middle and River View High School.
Election results will be certified on Friday, May 2.
This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 9:08 PM.
