School levies two Vancouver school districts and La Center were passing in early results released in Tuesday’s special election, but a levies in Hockinson and a bond measure in Ridgefield were failing.
Clark County’s largest school districts, Evergreen Public Schools and Vancouver Public Schools, were each asking voters to approve school program and technology levies. If passed, the levies will pay for educational programs, extra staff, and technology upgrades throughout the district.
Vancouver’s levies were winning handily, with 63.49 percent of the vote for the program levy and 61.78 percent for the technology levy, as of Tuesday evening. Evergreen’s levies were passing by a narrower margin, with 50.26 percent of the vote for the program levy and 50.47 percent for the technology levy.
A simple majority is required for approval.
The school program levies would cost taxpayers in the district $1.50 per thousand in assessed property value, and the technology levies will cost about 30 cents per thousand in assessed value, depending on the collection year. This is the first time that Evergreen, which has about 26,000 students, has run a technology levy.
Ridgefield bond failing
Voters appear to be rejecting a bond measure from the Ridgefield School District. The bond had received 57.28 percent of the vote as of Tuesday evening. A supermajority vote of 60 percent plus one vote is required for the bond to pass.
The $77 million bond was floated to finance construction of a new K-4 elementary school and expansion of Ridgefield High School, as well as the construction of covered play areas at all elementary schools, upgrades to heating and cooling systems at South Ridge Elementary School and Union Ridge Elementary School and updates for safety and security.
It is the second bond put before Ridgefield School District voters since the one approved in 2017.
Hockinson levies failing
Hockinson School District had two levies up for vote tonight, a replacement school programs and operations levy and a three-year capital levy for technology and school improvements.
The measures were failing in the first returns with 46.37 percent of the vote in favor of the programs levy and 45.06 percent of the technology levy. A simple majority is required for approval.
The programs and operations levy would collect an estimated $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value for all three years, the cap for local levies after the state Legislature’s McCleary decision. The technology levy was estimated to collect $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2020, followed by $0.40 per $1,000 in 2021 and $0.36 per $1,000 in 2022. That money is dedicated toward technology refreshes, safety and security upgrades, heating and cooling improvements and building capital improvements.
La Center levy passing
La Center School District is seeking a three-year levy estimated to collect $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value for all three years. The district uses levy money for extra curricular activities, technology, food service, transportation, maintenance, career and technical education and music.
That measure was passing in first returns, with 51.45 percent of the vote in favor. A simple majority is required for approval.
The next ballot update is expected Wednesday. Turnout was estimated at 28.5 percent of registered voters.
