FORKS — West End voters approved the Quillayute Valley School District property tax levy by a 30-percentage-point margin as of the first count of ballots Tuesday.
The yes votes outnumbered the no votes 805 to 434 — or 64.97 percent to 35.03 percent — in Clallam and Jefferson counties combined.
The district is largely within Clallam County, where the county’s breakdown was 777 yes votes, or 65.02 percent, to 418 no votes, or 34.98 percent, with 1,195, or 39.64 percent, voting out of 3,015 who were mailed ballots.
Forty-four people in Jefferson County also voted on the maintenance and operations levy out of 142 who received ballots for a turnout of 30.98. Of those, 28, or 63.64 percent, voted yes, while 16, or 36.36 percent, voted against the proposal.
The Clallam County Auditor’s Office counted all ballots in hand and estimates that a total of 800 more ballots may come in, having been mailed on Election Day, for both the Forks and Port Angeles levy measures, said Auditor Patty Rosand.
“We are celebrating,” said Superintendent Diana Reaume when reached by cell phone from a Forks High School playoff basketball game.
“Once again, it shows the commitment of our community to our kids. It feels good.”
Reaume said she was not surprised by the strong support.
School levies in the Quillayute Valley “traditionally pass in the high 60s and sometimes even the 70s,” Reaume said.
The two-year levy of $626,348 asks for a $60,000 increase to maximize state-matching funds, Reaume has said.
The estimated rate would be $1.41 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, meaning the owner of a $200,000 house would pay $282 per year in property taxes.
The levy will be used to reinstate the district’s music program, which was eliminated five years ago under state budget cuts, and pay for maintenance projects such as replacing the roof of one of the high school gymnasiums and upgrading the heating system at Forks Elementary School.
“We’re excited,” Reaume said.
There was no organized opposition to the levy.
School levies in Forks and Port Angeles needed a simple majority of 50 percent plus one vote to pass this year.
The election will be certified Feb. 23.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.