OTHELLO — Othello School District patrons will be asked to accept or reject a six-year capital levy request in a special election in February 2027. Othello School Board members voted 4-0 to submit the proposal to voters at the regular meeting Monday. Board chair Lindsy Prows was absent.  

If it's approved, property owners would pay an estimated 97 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. The owner of property worth $350,000 would pay $339.50 in taxes.  

Ballots would be due by Feb. 9. Because it's a levy proposal, it would require a bare majority, 50% plus one vote, to pass.  

Collection would start in 2028 and is projected to generate about $2.87 million in the first year. Washington law sets a maximum term of six years for a capital levy in most circumstances, according to the Washington Department of Revenue.  

School board members and district officials have talked about submitting a construction bond to voters but haven't made any decisions. When discussing the capital levy, board members said that if voters approved a construction bond, they would stop collecting the levy. Board member Isauro Pruneda said he wanted to make sure the board was committed to that position. 

"I want to bring it up to the rest of the board that we remember that we honor our deal," Pruneda said. "If we all stay on this board or we don't, if we were to pass a bond for a new school, that we make it very clear that if this capital levy passes, we're all in support of stopping the (levy collection) if – when – we pass a bond for a new school." 

Board vice-chair Aaron Gerber confirmed that was the thinking of current board members. 

"The board has agreed that if we do pass the bond – when we pass the bond – that we would then stop collecting on this capital levy," Gerber said. 

Board members were discussing writing that commitment into the levy proposal, but it was determined the current board could not restrict the actions of a future board, said Othello Superintendent Pete Perez in an earlier interview. The existing board has said on multiple occasions that they intend to stop collecting the capital levy if a bond passes, and Perez said any future board members would have to take that into account. 

"You've made a very strong commitment that you intend to follow through on that path and that's what you want to have happen," Othello Assistant Superintendent Josh Meek told board members Oct. 26.  

Meek said all the proposed projects that have been identified will be included in the information that will be sent to district patrons before the capital levy vote.  

"It's going to be very specific so people know where that money is going," Meek said. 

Among the projects on the list, if the levy is approved, is the addition of gymnasium space at Hiawatha, Lutacaga and Scootney Springs elementary schools.  

"The gyms are actually an issue for the schools that don't have both a cafeteria and a gym, because it interrupts their academic programming," Meek said. 

Lutacaga Elementary also needs a new roof, Meek said in earlier discussions, and the parking lot at the district's transportation facility is in need of repair. District officials would use some of the money to add a new warehouse for the food service department. Meek said playgrounds at some district schools also are in need of repairs and upgrades. 

District officials have been evaluating OSD facilities throughout this year as part of their "Future Ready Schools" initiative. Othello High School has been a focus of discussion; among other things OHS, or a whole new high school, would be eligible for construction funds from the state to offset some of the cost.  

Remodeling OHS or building a new one has been the focus of the conversation about a construction bond. The high school would get a few upgrades as part of the capital levy, but district officials are reluctant to put money in a facility that could be remodeled or replaced in a few years.  

Future-Ready Schools committee members also looked at the possibility of a construction bond in 2027 but ruled it out for next year.