Nooksack taking levy to voters

Request is close to 20 percent of district budget

KIRA MILLAGE

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NOOKSACK — Nooksack Valley School District officials are asking taxpayers to approve a four-year maintenance and operations levy to replace the current one that expires at the end of the year.

If approved, the levy would bring between $2.7 million and $2.9 million to the district each year, funding that Superintendent Mark Johnson said is essential to running the school district.

“It’s not connected to fluff,” he said. “It’s connected to real programs that support students.”

NOOKSACK VALLEY LEVY

The following will appear on the March 11 special schools election ballot for Nooksack Valley School District voters.
Four-year maintenance and operations levy
Projected tax rate for 2009: $3.08 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value, bringing in $2.7 million.
Projected tax rate for 2012: $2.94 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value, bringing in $2.9 million.

ELECTION COVERAGE

This is the fourth in a series of stories about the upcoming March 11 special schools election.
Still to come: Mount Baker and Bellingham school districts.
Previous coverage: For articles on the difference between bonds and levies, an overview of what districts will be seeking and detailed stories on what’s on the Meridian, Ferndale, Lynden and Blaine ballots, go to www.bellinghamherald.com/schoolelections .

If the measure passes, the estimated combined tax rate for all school district taxes, including the $9.8 million bond passed in 1997, would be about $5 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value. That means a person who owns a home assessed at $200,000 would pay about $1,000 for school district use.

The current tax rate is $4.66 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value, which means a person who owns a home assessed at $200,000 will pay about $932 this year for the school district, according to the Whatcom County assessor’s tax book.

To try to reduce the tax burden, district officials recently refinanced the 1997 bond, which paid for a new elementary school and other district improvements, and saved taxpayers about $520,000, Johnson said. The 1997 bond will be paid off in 2012.

The levy request is about $400,000 higher than the current levy. About $230,000 of the difference is to make up a loss in state revenue and about $170,000 is to cover inflation, technology and professional development, Johnson said.

The levy, which is close to 20 percent of the budget, helps the district fund extracurricular activities, keep class sizes small and maintain current programs.

Johnson thinks recent Washington Assessment of Student Learning scores, which are above the state average in all subjects and grade levels, and recent district awards show how well the district is doing.

“We want to continue to do the good work we’re doing with kids and continue to grow as a school system,” he said. “We’re pointed in the right direction and we want to continue that.”

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