By Chris Hendrickson, Monitor
The Sultan School District has submitted a proposal asking its constituents to reestablish the existing Maintenance and Operations tax levy that was approved by over 61 percent of voters in 2010.
The levy is not a new tax, but a replacement for the current levy that is set to expire in the spring. Ballots will be sent out on Jan. 24 for voter consideration on a measure that, if passed, would act as bridge funding; narrowing the gap between state-provided funding and the actual cost of educating students. Levy funds are utilized to help support programs including all-day kindergarten, band and music,
athletics, transportation and technology.
Levy funding also helps facilitate smaller class size and curriculum advancements.
Ballots must be turned in by February 11.
"It's not a new tax, it's not an increase,GÇ¥ explained Sultan School District Superintendent Dan Chaplik at a recent Chamber of Commerce meeting.
Levy funding currently makes up approximately 20 percent of the school district budget. The majority of the district's funding, roughly 70 percent, comes from the state.
Maintenance and operation levies typically run for durations of either two or four years. The district's current levy, established in 2010, expires this year. The new levy, if approved, will expire in 2018.
The levy is a property tax based on a fixed dollar amount. The Snohomish County Assessor's office provides estimated property values on properties within the district, which are then used to calculate the cost per $1,000 of assessed property value needed to reach the total levy dollar amount. The district's total levy amount
has been set at $18.7 million. The district's 2014 through 2018 levy rate amounts range from $4.27 to $4.60 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
"We try every day to do the best job that we can to have a school system that you're proud of,GÇ¥ said Chaplik. "We think it makes a big difference in the community.GÇ¥
For more information about the levy, please contact the Sultan School District at 360-793-9890. To view data presented in support of the levy, go to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vote-YES-For-Sultan-Schools/785351718158514.
The Sultan School District includes Sultan and Gold Bar Elementary Schools, Sultan Middle School, Sultan High School and Sky Valley Options High School.
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