Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
During a special Yelm Community Schools Board of Directors meeting on Monday, Aug. 3, school board directors voted 4-1 in favor of running a fifth educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy attempt this November in the Thurston County general election.
The proposed rate is set at $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Chris Woods, YCS superintendent, did not comment on the proposal of running a fifth levy during the special meeting on Monday night.
YCS board member Ryan Jewell was the lone vote against running a fifth levy attempt this November.
“I think it’s probably the least popular opinion in the room, but unfortunately this is not a levy that I’m in support of — asking the community for more money and offering less,” Jewell said. “This doesn’t add back programs that we’ve already cut, so offering less and asking more comes across tone deaf in my opinion. I haven’t presented the details of the levy to anybody who hasn’t laughed at me at this point.”
Jewell added that there’s a fear that if the levy isn’t passed and YCS doesn’t become financially solvent, OSPI would step in and take over financial oversight and control spending and cuts.
“I’m not confident that will happen, but we are in uncharted territory,” Jewell said. “There have been threats that we will be absorbed in North Thurston or Bethel school districts. Currently, North Thurston is cutting $10 million from their budget and they have a sizable levy in place. Bethel School District is under federal investigation for displaying hormone blockers in their pride display at the Graham-Kapowsin school.”
Casey Shaw, YCS board president, Bill Hauss, YCS board vice president, and board members Frank King and Denise Hendrickson voted in favor of running a levy attempt.
“To be honest, it’s more than I originally hoped for — more than I originally wanted, but after reviewing the financials we received and going through the possible scenarios, with the information we have it seems $1.50 is the minimum that we can collect,” Shaw said. “We still have to make a couple million (dollars) in cuts to stay solvent. At this point, I don’t feel great about it but I’d like the voters to decide. I think we should put it on the ballot. If it doesn’t get voted through, we have a rocky road and we gotta figure out where we’re going to go from there.”
King followed Shaw’s statements, adding that he agrees with the school board president’s stance. King said he doesn’t like going ahead with a fifth levy attempt, but feels that the voters ultimately have the decision to make — not the school board members.
“I’m going to vote ‘yes’ on this to move forward and let the voters make that decision,” King said. “There’s still a difficult road to come up with.”
Hauss said, as a school board, its number one job is to keep the district financially solvent, which is a state mandate. He added that levy equalization, to him, doesn’t really equalize anything.
“If you don’t have a levy, you don’t get as much money,” Hauss said. “I looked it up today, North Thurston’s levy (and bond, combined) rate is $4.32 per $1,000. Bethel’s is $2.40 per $1,000. If the district does go under — we have to be absorbed by somebody else — you’re going to be paying more taxes.”
Hendrickson said that nobody wants to pay any more taxes, and she gets that we’re all in a place where families are experiencing the financial burden of paying additional taxes each year.
“As Debbie (Edwards) always says, our levy is the one hack that stays here in this community and we have control over that. It’s really our last chance to try to keep our local control. If we don’t pass it, then the state is going to come in, they will, and start with the financial oversight.”
