LACEY — You have probably noticed the black and yellow “Vote Yes for Schools” yard signs dotting Thurston County yards and corners to promote the February 14 school elections, but have you noticed what most signs are missing?
“We left district names off on purpose this year to deliver a unified message about the importance of the levy for quality schools in all our communities,” said Ruth Weigelt, co-chair of North Thurston Citizens for schools who approached the other district school citizen groups in Tumwater, Yelm and Olympia about pooling their resources and marketing campaign efforts. “We saved money and got our message out to a wider audience.”
When asked to describe what a levy pays for, Weigelt doesn’t miss a beat. “Everything,” says the mother of three Timberline High School graduates. Her grandchildren also attend school in the district. “This levy is 20-25 percent of district budgets and if it goes away, so do teachers, jobs and quality education as we know it.”
Her co-chair, North Thurston graduate and former Lacey mayor Graeme Sackrison agrees. “The levy is the meat and potatoes of education…it’s no longer just for extras. A loss would be devasting to our students, our community and the local economy.” He notes that while the state has made a long-term commitment to redefining and funding basic education, they aren’t there yet so the levies are still imperative to district budgets.
Unlike many other states where school funding is automatically factored into local property taxes, voters in Washington are asked to cast their ballot every 2-4 years for replacement levies to help support the operating budgets of public schools. “Levies are for learning,” is a common message local districts use to describe the ballot measure, the bulk of which pays for teachers and other support staff, as well as educational programs such as Visual and Performing Arts, World Languages, Special Education, Athletics, and Career & Technology.
“We pride ourselves on educating the whole child in our district and recognize that each child has different needs,” said Superintendent Raj Manhas who joined North Thurston three years ago just in time for the 2010 2-year levy, which passed by nearly 60 percent. Manhas says he hopes voters will take time to educate themselves again about the levy before they cast their ballots. He also encourages people without children in the districts to get involved in local schools. “We have more than 2,000 volunteers in our system who do everything from mentor students to helping in the office. We need everyone to make our schools great and help our students succeed. It means so much to know that their community truly cares about their well being.”
In North Thurston Public Schools, the levy will cost about $128 million over four years. Weigelt says that will equate to about $3.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2013– a slight increase from the current rate of $3.29. “The total amount of the levy won’t change over the four years, but the rate will vary based on the rise and fall of individual
property values,” she said. “We are asking for a little more this year because it is for a longer period of time and we want to have sustainable funding.”
Another use of levy funds will include improving technology in the district to support education. “Computers and related programs can be used to enhance education and we need to make these resources more equitable throughout our schools — not have-and-have-nots based on which PTAs can raise more money or who is part of a construction bond,” Sackrison said. “If we want our students to compete in a global society and have the skills they need for today’s workforce, then we need to fund our schools for the 21st century.”
To learn more about the North Thurston replacement levy you can visit the school website at www.nthurston.k12.wa.us or to help out the campaign for North Thurston Citizens for Schools, visit their website at www.norththurstoncitizensforschools.info. The group also has a Facebook page.
