Voters in Washougal and Woodland rejected school levies in those districts

It appears voters have approved a Vancouver Public Schools’ Replacement Levy for Maintenance and Operations while voters in Washougal and Woodland have said no to levy requests by those districts.

Current results from the Clark County Elections Department of the Feb. 14 special election show that 57.11 percent (19,295) of Vancouver voters approved Proposition No. 6 as opposed to 42.89 percent (14,492) who objected. 

The VPS Board of Directors passed Resolution No. 893 concerning the proposition to maintain current educational funding. The proposition authorizes the district to continue funding students’ educational needs and school operations by levying the following excess taxes to replace the existing levy on all taxable property within the District, for educational programs and daily operational expenses, including textbooks, classroom materials and staff:

The estimated levy rate (per $1,000 of assessed value) is $1.99 for each of the four years of the levy. The amount collected will range from $61,661,200 in 2024 to $74,988,200 in 2027.

Washougal School District

Washougal voters were asked to consider two levies on the ballot for the Feb. 14 special election. Proposition 10, a Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy, received 47.83 percent (2,231) yes votes as opposed to 52.17 percent (2,433) no votes.

The proposition was designed to finance educational programs and operating expenses including the district’s educational programs, student services and operations expenses not funded by the state of Washington: The estimated levy rate (per $1,000 of assessed value) was $1.99 for each of the three years. The levy would have collected $9.5 million in 2024, $10.5 million in 2025 and $11.5 million in 2026.

Proposition 11 received 48.22 percent (2,172) yes votes and 51.78 percent (2,332) no votes. This levy was a Replacement Capital Levy for Educational Technology, Health and Safety Improvements. It would have allowed the district to acquire and install educational technology equipment and infrastructure and provide technology support, upgrade building access controls, make ADA accessibility improvements, replace/repair boilers and roofs, and modernize flooring:

The estimated levy rate (per $1,000 of assessed value) was $0.21 in 2024, $0.84 in 2025 and $0.85 in 2026. The levy would have collected $950,000 in 2024, $3.95 million in 2025 and $4.15 million in 2026.

Woodland School District

Proposition 1 was on the ballot in both Clark and Cowlitz counties, where voters have rejected the Replacement School Support Levy. In Clark County, 46.84 percent (185) of the voters said no and 53.16 percent (210) said yes. In Cowlitz County, 42.41 percent (1,054) of the voters approved the levy and 57.59 percent (1,431) rejected it.

The proposition would have provided funding for educational programs and operations not funded by the state. The approximate levy rate would have been $2.05 (per $1,000 of assessed value) and would have collected $5.9 million in 2024, $6.25 million in 2025 and $6.625 million in 2026.

In Clark County, 58,450 of 182,096 registered voters, or 32.10 percent, turned in a ballot.

The election is scheduled to be certified on Feb. 24.