Only 46 votes separate the results of the Evergreen Public Schools’ 4-year replacement EP&O levy

Seven school districts in Clark County had measures on the Feb. 11 special election ballot.

There were two types of school levies on the Feb. 11 ballot: EP&O levies and capital levies. Districts can place one or both types of levies on a ballot. There is also a bond on the ballot.

Education Programs and Operations (EP&O) levies fund programs and services not fully covered by state or federal funding. EP&O levies support day-to-day school operations, including staffing (above the state allocation), extracurricular activities, special education programs, and basic maintenance of facilities. EP&O levies fill the gap between state funding and the cost of running schools. EP&O levies require a 50-percent-plus-1 simple majority to pass.

The EP&O levies on the ballot were:

Battle Ground Public Schools: A 4-year EP&O levy would fund programs that are not fully funded by the state, including security staff, instructional/support staff, curriculum, nursing, mental health support, special education, busing, sports, including middle school sports, and the arts. Tuesday’s initial results showed it was being rejected by voters with 8,553 No votes (51.86 percent) and 7,941 Yes votes (48.14 percent).

Ridgefield School District: A 3-year replacement EP&O levy would fund athletics, student clubs and activities, Cispus Outdoor School, the Family Resource Center, school supplies, Early Learning services, Special Education services, staff professional development, enhanced curriculum and courses, and more. This levy is passing with 4,135 Yes votes (54.33 percent) and 3,476 No votes (45.67 percent).

Evergreen Public Schools: A 4-year replacement EP&O levy would continue to support teachers, principals, counselors, coaches, safety & security, school support staff including secretaries, paraeducators, extracurricular activities including athletics, orchestra, band, choir, theater, field trips, and more if approved. The EP&O levy would also continue support for special education teachers and paraeducators, multilingual learners, highly capable programs, smaller class sizes, curriculum, textbooks, and professional development. As of Tuesday night, there were 46 more No votes (11,213, 50.10 percent) than Yes votes (11,167, 49.90 percent).

La Center School District: A 3-year replacement levy to fund educational programs and operations expenses not funded by the State, including smaller class sizes, advanced courses, technology, rising maintenance costs, extracurricular activities, transportation, special education, and student safety. This levy is passing with 1,486 Yes votes (58.50 percent) and 1,054 No votes (41.50 percent).

Capital levies 

Capital levies are used to fund smaller-scale facility projects and improvements that don’t require the long-term borrowing of a bond. These levies may fund technology upgrades, safety improvements, facility repairs, and deferred maintenance. Capital levies are typically approved by voters for a specific duration and purpose, allowing districts to address immediate or ongoing infrastructure needs. Sometimes, capital levies can fund a portion of school construction projects when pre-construction work has already been completed. Capital levies require a 50-percent-plus-1 simple majority to pass.

The Capital levies for this election were:

Vancouver Public Schools: A 6-year replacement capital levy would fund technology, safety, and capital projects. This levy is currently passing with 12,681 Yes votes (52.13 percent) and 11,644 No votes (47.87 percent). 

Ridgefield School District: A 3-year Capital Facilities/Technology levy, combined with the use of existing development impact fees and state matching funds, would construct a new elementary school, complete overdue deferred maintenance projects at South Ridge and Union Ridge elementary schools, and restore the district’s annual technology budget that was cut due to budget constraints. Just as is the case with the district’s other levy, the Capital Levy is passing, with 4,174 Yes votes (54.89 percent) and 3,430 No votes (45.11 percent). 

Evergreen Public Schools: A 4-year Replacement Safety, Security and Technology Capital (SSTC) levy would continue funding for student and staff devices, school audio-visual equipment, network infrastructure, technology staff, ParentSquare communication service, online curriculum, school communication systems, internet services, emergency response systems, cyber security, and internet safety software if approved. This levy is currently passing with 11,464 Yes votes (51.26 percent) and 10,899 No votes (48.74 percent).

Bonds

Bonds fund major construction or facility improvement projects. Bonds can fund new school construction or major updates to existing schools. Similar to a mortgage, bonds are repaid over time through property taxes. Bonds are used for tangible projects that enhance the physical learning environment. Unlike levies, bonds require a 60-percent-plus-1 supermajority to pass.

There was one bond for this election:

Hockinson School District: Bond measure would fund the building of a second elementary school in Hockinson to reduce overcrowding. At the existing Hockinson Heights Elementary School campus, funding would improve traffic flow, reduce the use of portable classrooms, and install automatic lockdown capabilities. If approved, the bond would also allow the district to update safety and security at all schools, create a high school career and technical education facility, and replace the high school track while improving outdoor facilities for student and community use. This bond is failing with 1,560 votes to reject (53.70 percent) and 1,345 votes to approve (46.30 percent).

As of Tuesday night, ballots from 81,344 of the 324,014 registered voters in Clark County had been counted (25.11 percent). More ballots will continue to be counted by Clark County Elections Department officials.