With the upcoming Feb. 13 special election in Thurston County quickly approaching, Rainier School District (RSD) is turning to voters to approve two levies. The proposals include a four-year replacement Educational Programs and Operations levy, as well as a six-year capital levy for safety, security and maintenance repairs and upgrades.
The school district’s budget relies on levies for 18% of its budget, while it relies on state funding for 59.2%, state grants for 15%, local support for 1.6% and federal grants for 6.2%.
RSD Superintendent Bryon Bahr hosted a presentation on Thursday, Jan. 4 inside Rainier High School’s commons area to inform members of the community on how their tax dollars would be used, if passed.
Four-year replacement levy for educational programs and operations (EPO)
If passed, Rainier residents would pay $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value toward the EPO levy.
Bahr said the four-year EPO levy provides funding for the district to pay for programs such as athletics, extracurriculars, remediation and special education. It also provides funding for transportation, teachers, classified staff, administration, school resource officers (SROs), professional development, utilities, food services, custodial staffing, maintenance and renovations.
For every dollar collected for the EPO levy, 60 cents would go toward basic education, 20 cents for facilities and operations, 15 cents for athletics and 5 cents for special education.
“The EPO levy pays for things in the gap, the stuff the state doesn’t pay for,” Bahr said. “We saw that the state pays for 59.2% of funding, and they don’t cover things like athletic programs or extracurricular programs. We want to be able to offer our students programs like [advanced placement classes], and we’d have to pay for that out of the levy.”
The state of Washington’s funding to RSD pays to transport students to and from school, but anytime they travel for athletics or extracurricular activities, funding comes out of the EPO levy, Bahr said.
Passing of the EPO levy would also allow RSD to continue funding the SRO position. Bahr noted the district is “very fortunate” that the community and City of Rainier funds a portion of the SRO position.
The EPO levy would also allow RSD to complete much-needed maintenance throughout the district’s three schools.
“I can tell you, just this week in three days, we’ve had a water leak in this building. We had a water leak in the elementary, and we had some problems with alarm systems in all of the buildings this week. That’s because these buildings are getting so old. We’re having water leaks because our galvanized pipes are eroding from the inside out. There’s little pinholes, and the water comes out and leaks,” Bahr said. “Those are the reasons why we’re asking for a replacement levy, it’s not more money.
“Again, this is a replacement levy, not a new tax,” Bahr continued. “It will continue to fund programs like science, technology, engineering and math, and [career and technical education] so our students are prepared and college ready after they graduate.”
Six-year capital levy for safety, security and maintenance repairs, upgrades
If passed, Rainier residents would pay $1 per $1,000 of assessed value toward the capital levy for safety, security and maintenance repairs and upgrades.
“This levy is about safety and security and maintenance repairs around our schools,” Bahr said. “These are just the tip of the iceberg. We could’ve had a list that’d be forever.”
Funds from the six-year capital levy would go toward paving the parking lots, replacing concrete behind the middle school and high school and replacing the high school’s track and football field.
“We have track stars consistently. Rob Henry has taken kids to the state track meet for 18 years in a row, I believe. We use that track. The community uses that track,” Bahr said. “We’d love for the community to be able to use our fields. The problem is our fields get wet, and when they get wet and used, they get torn up. It gets unsafe. We want to look at bringing in turf or redoing it, maybe we’ll bring in grass. The board will decide what to do there.”
The levy would also fund security upgrades for camera replacements, a “buzzer” for an electric door entry way at the front of the schools, security fencing at the three schools, as well as different maintenance repairs.
“Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Bahr said. “This building was built in the early 1970s, and there hasn’t been much remodeling since then. The infrastructure is what needs to be redone.”
If passed, Rainier Elementary School could purchase a replacement chiller cooler, as well as new and inclusive playground equipment.
“These are just a few of the things. We hope to goodness this passes. The board would then decide their priorities once it passes, but this is what they’ve prioritized as of now,” Bahr said.
“We’re not gonna go out and burden the community trying to get a bond, which would be $4 per $1,000. We’re trying to be good stewards of our money, good stewards to our community, and we’re trying to do the things we can do before we go out for a bond.”
There will be an additional levy meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 18 inside RHS’s commons area.
