Ballots to be mailed Wednesday for special election

Four school districts put forward measures

PORT ANGELES — Clallam and Jefferson county auditors’ offices will mail ballots Wednesday for the Feb. 11 special election.

All measures have been placed by school districts.

In Clallam County, the Sequim School District will ask voters to decide on two measures.

Proposition 1 is a four-year, $36.2 million Educational Programs and Operations replacement levy (EP&O) to support sports, music, counselors, nurses, maintenance and other expenses not funded by the state.

It would increase the current tax collection rate from 86 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to 94 cents per $1,000.

Proposition 2 is a $145.95 million construction bond to fund a replacement for Helen Haller Elementary, upgrades at Greywolf Elementary, renovation of Sequim High School and installation of safety and security features.

Meanwhile, the Quillayute Valley School District will ask voters to approve Proposition 1, a four-year $6 million EP&O replacement levy.

If voters pass the levy, the school district would obtain about $5.7 million a year in Local Effort Assistance funding and enable it to continue collecting timber revenue.

In Jefferson County, the Chimacum School District will ask voters to decide on Proposition 1, a three-year, $7.275 million replacement EP&O levy to support teaching, school supplies, technology, athletics, buildings and transportation.

The tax rate is estimated to be 66 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for all three years.

The Port Townsend School District will have both Proposition 1 and Proposition 2 on the ballot.

Proposition 1 is a three-year, $12.9 million replacement educational programs and school support levy that would pay for services including the library, arts, nutrition and wellness, special education, multi-language learners and extracurricular and co-curricular activities.

The tax rate is estimated to be 82 cents per $1,000 in the first two years and 81 cents per $1,000 in the final year.

Proposition 2 is a three-year, $7.1 million replacement capital levy to support the construction, modernization and remodeling of school facilities. It would improve disability access at Port Townsend High School and Blue Heron Middle School, demolish the Lincoln Building, plan for upgrades at the high school and OCEAN School, continue to study seismic retrofit at the high school and make other safety, technology and facilities improvements to school facilities.

The tax rate is estimated to be 45 cents per $1,000 for all three years.

All levies require a simple majority to pass. Construction bonds, such as Sequim School District’s Proposition 2, require a 60 percent supermajority to pass.

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