February 13th is election day, and a lot of school districts have levies on the ballot. Chelan and Manson are two; the Brewster School District also has an EP&O levy for voters to approve, EP&O standing for educational programs and operations. On KOZI Wednesday morning, Brewster High School Principal Todd Phillips said it funds things the state doesn't:
On the district's levy webpage, it says the levy would pay for staff to maintain class sizes, among other things. Phillips says the district doesn't want to deny its students things:
Junior Alexis Pamatz is a Brewster student who benefits from that levy:
The levy rate is 2 dollars 25 cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation; that, along with an existing bond of a dollar-72 per thousand, would bring the total rate to 3 dollars 97 cents per thousand.
The replacement levy represents about 11% of the district's overall budget. If the levy does not pass, the district will lose funding for staff and programs, including extracurricular activities, athletics, advanced courses, special education, student transportation, and English Language Learners programs. Given that almost 80% of the budget is allocated to staffing costs, the district says there is a significant risk of positions being eliminated if the levy goes down to defeat.