Levy goes to La Conner School District voters in February

Without discussion, the La Conner School District Board of Directors unanimously approved placing a two-year levy totaling $1,749,210 before its voters at its monthly meeting Monday. The resolution states the funds will “pay part of the cost of educational programs and operations support of the District.” Draft language the Board discussed at its Nov. 5 study session stated monies are for “programs and operations which are not funded or not fully funded by the State:”

Later in the meeting, when Channel Drive resident David Buchan asked an unrelated question, about funding teacher and learning assessments, Superintendent Whitney Meisner’s answer, in part, referenced the levy. “The levy is not for staffing,” she said, but for operations and maintenance. In an email Tuesday, Meissner wrote the funds would be “used to support the following at a minimum: extracurricular activities, food services, transportation, Braves Club and STEM” (Science, Technology, Education and Math curricula).

This is a replacement levy for expiring taxing authority.

If approved, the tax will be levied upon all taxable property within the district. Over 900 parcels on leased Swinomish Reservation land cannot be taxed, based on the 2013 Great Wolf Lodge decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Court protected from taxation all permanent improvements on tribal land independent of the ownership of those improvements.

There are 2,600 households and 3,749 active registered voters in the La Conner school district, according to David Cunningham, county elections supervisor.

The school district will share election costs with the Burlington and Mount Vernon school districts. The latter will have two levies, for enrichment and operations and for technology.

Ballots will be mailed about Jan. 22. Voters can vote and return them as soon as they receive them, Cunningham wrote in an email Tuesday.

The levy communication plan and levy schedule are on the school district’s website: https://www.boarddocs.com/wa/laconner/Board.nsf/Public. Open “meetings” and click on “2018” and then “Nov. 5 Study Session” to get the word and excel files.

The Board also approved using “P-Cards,” a more secure system for staff to make almost all types of payments. They agreed to hire Galen McKnight as a basketball coach. He is a 7th and 8th grade math teacher and middle school soccer coach. They approved funding the 5th grade class on a four-day-three-night science field trip program on Bainbridge Island.

The Board also was told the names of the players on the fall sports teams: football, boys and girls soccer, and volleyball, that made all-league and they recognized Suzanne Marble for being named the 2018 State 2B Tournament Coach of the Year.