By School Superintendent Bill Evans
Lopez school district voters will likely be asked to consider three important election items over the course of the rest of this and the next calendar year. The District will be asking for the voter’s consideration of election of School Board Directors in the November 2013 elections, an important replacement Maintenance and Operations school levy likely in February, and possibly a revised Capital Projects bond sometime in 2014. School officials will be sharing more detailed information about each of these items as the time for voter consideration draws closer for each item.
On or about October 17, the ballots will be mailed to voters for the November 5th election. On that ballot will be an opportunity for Lopez school district voters to vote for four School Board Directors. Current Board Director and Board Chair John Helding is being challenged by Joe Thornton. Director Clive Prout is being challenged by Jay Brant. Director Del Guenther is being challenged by Teddy McCullough, and Director Dixie Budke is being challenged by Paul Berg.
In February, 2014, subject to final approval by the School Board, the District will ask voters to consider replacement of the current Maintenance and Operations school levy, which is due to expire at the end of 2014. This multi-year levy constitutes approximately 25-30% of the District’s budget, and helps pay for everything from scotch tape and thumbtacks to extra-curricular coaches salaries, instructional materials, upkeep of the school facility, heat, salary costs above what is received from the state, and many other critical budget items. This will be a replacement levy, and as Lopez has been at the top of its legally mandated levy limit for several years, this is predicted to have little new impact upon taxpayers. It will just be replacing the current levy when it expires. Lopez has historically received solid support from the voters for this replacement levy, with voters consistently approving these school levies since 1992.
After the high priority Maintenance and Operations replacement school levy election, the District will consider placing before the voters in 2014 a revised capital projects bond, shaped by considerable public input. The process for seeking public input to determine the revised, scope of the bond, is currently being developed by the School Board and District administration. It is hoped that such an input process can begin to happen soon after the November 5th School Board Director election.
For further information or details on any of these three important items, readers are encouraged to contact Bill Evans, Superintendent at bevans@lopez.k12.wa.us, or 468-2202.
