PORT TOWNSEND — The Chimacum School District levy passed with flying colors on Tuesday.
With 52.4 percent of voters turning out for the election, the vote to fund the schools with $4,176,000 over the course of two years passed by more than 60 percent.
Tuesday’s election day count found 2,695 votes, or 61.08 percent, approving the levy — which needed a simple majority to pass — and 1,717 votes, or 38.92 percent, rejecting it.
As of the Tuesday night count, 4,470 ballots had been returned of the 8,531 mailed to voters in the Port Hadlock, Chimacum and Port Ludlow areas.
Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge said her office is expecting to count late ballots at noon today.
She expects about 100 additional ballots to come in — not nearly enough to change the outcome.
“This is it,” Eldrige said. “It has passed.”
‘Happy, pleased’
“We’re very happy, and very pleased with the support,” said Chimacum Superintendent Mike Blair, who was at the Jefferson County Courthouse with the district’s business manager, Art Clarke, when the results were announced just after 8 p.m.
“We understand people are struggling with the economy, and we are glad to still have people support the schools,” Blair added.
“I really want to say thank you to our voters.”
The levy renews a similar three-year levy that expires at the end of this school year.
“It makes up roughly 20 percent of our funding,” Clarke said.
Clarke and Blair said that extracurricular activities such as athletics, band and clubs will be funded by the levy, which also will pay for new books and changes to curriculum.
“All the stuff we don’t get from the state we are now going to get from our voters,” Blair said. “This is very exciting.”
The levy will give Chimacum schools $2,037,000 in 2010 and $2,139,000 in 2011.
Taxpayers will pay 96 cents per $1,000 of assessed value in 2010 and $1 per $1,000 in 2011.
The district has operated with maintenance and operation levies since 1994.
District revenue has increased marginally each year, officials said.
This year the district collected $1.9 million. It will collect $1.94 million this year.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
