Ballots to be sent for Clarkston school levy

Mar. 31—Ballots for a three-year capital levy for the Clarkston School District will be sent out Friday.

The levy will collect funds for infrastructure, safety and health improvements for the district.

The levy rate will be $1 per $1,000 of assessed value. The levy will run from 2025-27. The amount collected in 2025 will be $1,866,434, the amount collected in 2026 will be $1,959,756 and the amount collected in 2027 will be $2,057,743.

Ballots need to be postmarked by April 23.

Ballots can also be returned to the Asotin County Courthouse parking lot and inside the entry of the courthouse, 135 Second St.; in the alley behind Clarkston City Hall, 829 Fifth St.; and in the parking lot behind Lincoln Middle School, 1945 Fourth Ave.

The deadline to receive new voter registration and voter updates to existing registrations is April 15. Those with questions about voting can contact the Asotin County Elections Office at (509) 243-2084, extension 1534.

Clarkston school Superintendent Thaynan Knowlton said the decision to run the levy was based on comments from community members who asked the district to work on maintaining facilities instead of funding a new building. Last year the school district ran a bond in April asking for $79 million to build a new high school, which received only 51.8% votes in favor instead of the required 60% plus one.

In the Asotin County voter's pamphlet on the levy, statements for the levy were written by Jack Worle and Courtney Kramer. No statements were submitted against or in rebuttal to the levy.

Worle wrote that while people are concerned about the increase in taxes and cost of living, the district has a long list of needed repairs and upgrades. He said this levy addresses affordable repairs to schools.

"I support this levy for all the reasons that the public stated that they want to do something in a well-planned and funded manner," Worle's statement reads. "We can make the needed repairs and the schools a better learning environment with levies."

Both Worle's and Kramer's statements addressed that levies are the primary way to fund the needed repairs because of a lack of funding from the Washington Legislature. Kramer wrote that the state provides no funding for capital improvements.

Kramer also wrote that the last capital levy in the district expired in 2013 and since then the Clarkston School District has used emergency grant funding to fix facilities. The levy will help extend the lifespan of the schools and prevent the need to replace school facilities.

Kramer noted that the school district created a facilities advisory committee to develop a 10-year facilities plan, but the community needs to provide the financial support to fund those improvements.

"Your support of this levy will mark a turning point in our community's reinvestment in our school buildings," Kramer wrote in the statement.

Some of the projects the levy will fund include a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for Heights Elementary, which is an estimated $3,800,000 cost. An estimated $500,000 will go to repair the roof of the Clarkston High after the school was denied a $500,000 grant.

Heights and Grantham elementary schools both need carpet replaced at a cost of about $490,000.

The high school also needs a chiller to cool down the school, which costs about $200,000. The funds will also be used for various concrete and asphalt projects in the district for playgrounds, parking lots, sidewalks and access roads, according to information provided by the Clarkston School District.

More information about the levy can be found on the Clarkston School District website under the community tab at csdk12.org.

Knowlton previously told the Tribune the funds can be flexible depending on the needs of the district and that levies fund areas the Washington Legislature doesn't cover. The Clarkston School District created a facilities advisory committee to help plan, prioritize and help with Clarkston High School.

At a school board meeting Monday, Knowlton said the committee met for the first time with a tour of the high school. The committee will continue to meet on the first and third Mondays and will visit each school in the district.

The committee had 31 people apply and has 20 members, including Knowlton, school board members Bunce and Dan Randles as well as Amanda Albrecht, Katherine Anderson, David Dahlin, Dick Flerchinger, Brad Gary, Darin Krause, Don McQuary, Dennis Plunkett, Scott Shelden, Erika Stricker, Robert Uhrich, Don Wee and Jack Worle.

Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.