|
Proposition No. 1
Submitted by Bethel School District No. 403
SCHOOL PROGRAM MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION LEVY
Official Ballot Title:
To replace an expired school levy and meet the educational needs of students in Bethel School District 403, shall the district levy the following taxes upon all taxable property within the district for the purpose of supporting educational programs and providing school operating and maintenance funds for three years:
|
Collection
Year
2000
2001
2002
|
Approximate Levy Rate per $1,000
Assessed Value
$3.53
$3.52
$3.50
|
Levy
Amount
$13,300,000
$13,900,000
$14,600,000
|
all as specified in District Resolution 2 (98-99)?
Explanatory Statement:
Approval of the 2000, 2001 and 2002 levy request will restore funding over a three year period in a number of programs that were cut back or eliminated following the 1998 levy loss. Areas where levy funds will be targeted include those identified by parents and community as vitally important such as:
Student textbooks, school safety and security, school buses and transportation costs, programs for higher academic standards, classroom computers, preventive building maintenance, special programs such as music and gifted and student extracurricular activities.
This levy replaces the levy that was approved in 1996 and expired in 1998 ($3.48 per $1,000). A three-year levy will provide stable funding with a decreasing tax rate and a reduction in costs related to holding elections less frequently.
When voting on levies, we are voting on the total amount of money, not the tax rate. The rate is an estimate. If the assessed value increases, the tax rate goes down because the amount to be collected is fixed. The tax rate expires each year and is replaced by the next.
Statement For:
Vote Yes for safe schools. Vote Yes for safe buses. Vote Yes for textbooks.
Support the Levy!
Bethel community schools deserve your support with a yes vote on February 2. Bethel's outstanding school board and staff are committed to providing the best possible education at the best price.
But our children need your help. Washington does not fully fund your schools. Only about 85% of what it takes to maintain a quality education system comes from the state, we voters must make up the rest.
This year the levy expired. No levy funds will be collected in 1999. The expired levy was passed by you in 1996 for $3.48 per thousand, but it needs to be renewed just like a magazine subscription.
The schools have struggled to try to provide needed programs and services with drastic cuts. These cuts will double if the levy does not pass this year.
Voting Yes means safe schools. Voting Yes means safe buses. Voting Yes means Textbooks to learn from.
Voting Yes means your share will go down every year. That's right, your share will decrease each year, from $3.53 per thousand dollars of assessed value in 2000 to $3.52 in 2001 to $3.50 in 2002. It's only 5 cents more than 1998.
Is a child's safety and education worth 5 cents? Please Vote Yes on February 2.
Statement prepared by :
Meg Bushnell, Mark Banta and Chris Brayton, The Bethel Citizens' Committee for School Support
Statement Against:
No statement was submitted against this issue.
This space is available each election
for citizens and/or committees opposing measures
to publish a "Statement Against." For information, contact the
Pierce County Auditor's Office at (253) 798-7430.
The above statements were written by the jurisdiction committees, which are solely responsible for the contents therein.
|
