Remember to Vote – Feb. 13, 2024

Remember to Vote – Feb. 13, 2024
Ballots for the Feb. 13, 2024 Special Election will mail out to voters the week of Jan. 22. The district’s Educational Programs and Operations Levy and Capital Levy to improve outdoor athletic and activity facilities will both be on the ballot. Please remember to return your ballots by Feb. 13. Levy Information: https://www.wwps.org/levy2024

Voter Information:
• 315 W. Main St (Room 203)
• (509) 524-2530
• elections@co.walla-walla.wa.us

Two school levies on February ballot
Have you heard two school levies are on the Feb. 13 ballot? The first levy is the renewal of the district's Educational Programs and Operations Levy (commonly referred to as the "Learning Levy"). This IS NOT A NEW TAX. It is a renewal of the district's long-standing "learning levy," that has been consecutively approved by voters 28 times dating all the way back to 1971. Per state law, this levy requires reauthorization from voters every four years. It replaces the same tax rate overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2020 (73% yes), and provides the same opportunities and experiences Walla Walla students have experienced for decades. It funds the learning and programming that the state's basic funding model doesn't, such as: honors/AP classes, music, art, drama, foreign language, athletics, clubs, activities, classroom technology, school safety, maintenance/custodial staffing, school nurses, counselors, highly capable programs and more. It provides for a large percentage of our district/community workforce, encompassing over 110 full time staff and over 230 part time coaches and advisors. To learn more about the Learning Levy renewal, feel free to visit our website here: https://www.wwps.org/ep-o-learning-levy or review the fact sheet which will be arriving in mailboxes later this month.

The second levy is a short-term capital levy that addresses outdoor athletic and activity improvements that were intentionally not included in the prior 2018 bond measure. As you may recall, one of our community's top expectations was that bond dollars would be prioritized to address classroom/indoor spaces, safety and infrastructure preservation. The community Bond Oversight Committee carefully safeguarded this promise, and as a result indoor classrooms, labs, music, art, drama, career and technical, and other indoor facilities were brought up to current standards. As promised, no bond dollars were used on outdoor athletic/activity improvements. However, the need to address outdoor facilities, many of which are more than 50 years old and/or lack current amenities and safety measures, didn't go away. A 20-member community task force spent months studying the issues and prioritized needs, recommending two levels of possible improvements. In order to minimize impact to taxpayers, our school board chose to proceed with the lower-cost recommendation and has identified grants and outside funding sources to help further reduce costs. As a result, the Capital Levy rate is estimated to be no more than 38 cents per $1,000 (about $9/month for a $300,000 assessed value home), and will automatically expire after six years. To learn more about the short-term capital levy, click here: https://www.wwps.org/outdoor-athletic-and-activity-capital-levy

Ballots will be arriving in mailboxes towards the end of this month. Additionally, both the replacement levy and short-term capital levy are subject to senior citizen (61+) and disability exemptions. To learn more about exemptions, you can contact the Walla Walla County Assessor at: https://www.co.walla-walla.wa.us/departments/assessor/index.php

Remember to vote on February 13.