MATTAWA – The Wahluke School District is running a levy on the Feb. 11 ballot asking for voters to approve a measure intended to eliminate debt and pay for upgrades to campus security infrastructure, Wahluke Superintendent Andy Harlow said. The levy will be something the district hasn’t requested for six years. 

“This levy is a capital levy, and we have not had a capital levy, in fact, we have not had any levy that has been in addition to our (educational programs and operations) levy for the last six years,” Harlow said.  

Property owners would pay an estimated 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation of their property within the district’s boundaries, if voters approve the levy. The owner of property valued at $250,000 would pay $187.50 per year in property taxes over the three years. People with property valued at $350,000 would pay $262.50 each year. 

The primary purpose is to pay off a loan used to replace the HVAC system at Mattawa Elementary, Harlow said. The remainder would go toward security and fire alarm infrastructure in the district’s four oldest buildings which range from 30 to about 50 years in age. In the end, the goal is to better manage the district’s debt and improve student safety, he said.  

“It gives us some debt that’s paid off. It lets us invest in some safety and security systems, and then we move forward and build this 10-year plan that we’ve been talking about,” he said.  

Harlow said he and school officials have worked hard to curb spending over the last few years with about 40 positions being eliminated and spending curbed to ensure a balanced budget. However, their efforts come after previous administrations “kicked the can down the road,” and left some facility maintenance incomplete. Add to that transportation expenses and other things that came about similarly, and the district needs to get in a position to have a plan where it doesn’t just balance the current budget but plans to meet its expenditure needs and maintain a balanced budget a decade in advance.  

Another benefit, he said, is that it will allow the debt from the HVAC system to be paid off. As a result, the district will have more debt capacity if an emergency arises. That may be a bus replacement such as the one that was necessary after an accident last year totaled one of the district’s buses, or it could be a building repair similar to the environmental system needing to be replaced.  

“It gives us a lifeline to other things,” he said.  

Upgrading the safety systems at the four campuses will cost about $200,000 per campus, Harlow said. When speaking with the vendor that services the systems, Harlow said district officials found that some of the older systems no longer have replacement parts available. That means repairs may be impossible if the system goes down, placing students and staff at risk, as well as the equipment in the buildings.  

Harlow said he and district officials are cognizant of the fact that cost of living is up for the district’s residents, and he respects that. In the long run, though, the goal is to eliminate interest on the loan that paid for the HVAC and set the district on firmer footing that has the potential to save money and allow for better fiscal planning.