Both school tax levies put to voters by the Port Angeles School District have only a long shot chance of approval.
Quillayute Valley School District’s levy, on the other hand, stands a much better chance of garnering the 60 percent of yes votes needed for approval once the next official vote tally is made public on Friday.
First returns for the all-mail levy elections were released Tuesday night after polling closed at 8 p.m.
Port Angeles’ maintenance and operations, or M&O, replacement levy received 3,920 yes votes, or 54.4 percent, compared to 3,286 no votes, or 45.5 percent.
School levies need a 60 percent “supermajority” approval in Washington state.
Port Angeles’ faint hope hinges in the 1,599 ballots yet to be counted, according to figures from the Clallam County Auditor’s Office on Wednesday.
Of those remaining ballots, Port Angeles’ M&O levy needs 1,363 “yes” votes — or 85 percent — to pass.
The four-year, $26.8 million M&O replacement levy is designed to fill the gap between state funding and actual school district expenses.
A separate Port Angeles technology levy, which would have raised $3.6 million over four years to update computer equipment and train students and teachers, seems all but dead in the water.
Based on Tuesday night’s results, it barely holds a majority.
A total of 3,632 yes votes for 50.5 percent were tallied, compared with 3,560 no votes, or 49.5 percent.
Of the 1,599 ballots remaining, 1,642 yes votes — a whopping 97 percent — are needed for the measure to reach the supermajority result.
Quillayute Valley schools
Tuesday night’s results showed Quillayute Valley School District’s replacement M&O levy passing with 60.21 percent of yes votes.
A total 151 votes are still uncounted in Clallam County.
These, plus whatever few ballots might still arrive from district voters in West Jefferson County will be counted Friday to determine the final outcome.
To pass, Quillayute’s levy needs to get at least 83 yes votes — or 55 percent — of the 151 outstanding ballots in Clallam County, the Auditor’s Office said.
Quillayute Valley School District Superintendent Frank Walter said he expects only a small number of ballots to come from Jefferson County.
“We’re just going to wait until the next results are released on Friday,” Walter said.
“That’s about all we can do.”