Ephrata Schools moving forward with replacement levy election
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
Students deliver a presentation at a recent Ephrata School District Board of Directors meeting. A variety of programs that students directly benefit from are paid for using local levy dollars. The district will have a levy on the Feb. 11, 2025 ballot.
EPHRTA SCHOOLS PHOTO
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | December 9, 2024 1:10 AM
EPHRATA – The Ephrata School Board unanimously approved placing an Educational Programs and Operations levy on the February 2025 ballot for taxpayers to decide on. The estimated levy rate is $1.85 per $1,000 of assessed value. The EP&O levy helps pay for things like athletics, theater and other extracurriculars in addition to instruction.
“Ephrata is the smallest district in the Central Washington Athletic Conference (CWAC), yet we often have the most student athletes participating in the league,” said Ephrata School District Superintendent Ken Murray in a statement from the district. “Levies support roughly 1,100 participants in middle and high school sports, 600 participants in K-12 activities like Lego Robotics, Math Club, band and choir, and provide essential funding that supports classroom learning and keeps students safe.”
The levy is not a new tax, but a renewal of one already approved by voters which is set to expire.
Zillow calculates the median home prices in Ephrata at $315,602 as of Saturday. At that value, the average homeowner would pay about $584 in property taxes for the school district’s EP&O levy, if voters approve it in the spring.
The first year of the levy would bring in an estimated $2.7 million. Additionally, Local Effort Assistance funding from the state, money provided to property-poor districts in Washington including Ephrata, would provide about $3.2 million. Without a voter-approved levy, Local Effort Assistance funds from the state are not provided to the district, under Washington law.
Levy dollars help in funding programs such as College in the High School, elective classes, instructional technology athletics and activities, general supply and operating costs, staff training and security efforts school districts maintain.
The school district intends to put information out via a specialized website dedicated to the levy election at www.tigersvote.org.
The Columbia Basin Herald will be covering the election through voting. The spring election is set for Feb. 11, 2025.
Levy revenues:
If approved by voters, the levy is expected to raise the following amounts in each year of its effective term:
$2,713,253 in 2025 for collection in 2026
$2,821,783 in 2026 for collection in 2027
$2,934,654 in 2027 for collection in 2028
$3,052,040 in 2028 for collection in 2029
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: In appreciation of educators ...
An experience I recently had with a school district, quite honestly, has left me gob-smacked a bit. I am in awe of the teachers and administrators at school districts throughout the region and what they have to deal with. Let me get back to the beginning, though. Journalists often cover a wide variety of topics and are constantly looking for ideas for stories that will matter to readers. As such, when we hear of events of interest, we sometimes ask to attend so we can either cover it, or, as in this case, learn how to cover a topic better.