LEVY FACTS 2023

Renewal education & operations (E&O)

LEVY FACTS

The renewal education & operations levy is not a new tax. It replaces expiring levies.
This renewal levy will be on the February 2023 ballot.
If approved, the levy would be for four years from 2024 to 2027.
All schools in the district benefit from this levy.
Local levy dollars make up 12.5% of the VPS budget.
The estimated rate is $1.99 per $1,000 of assessed property value.* Voters last approved a supplemental levy in 2020. The combined local levy rate was $2.01 per $1,000 of assessed property value the first year of collection. This renewal levy replaces both expiring levies.
Local levies bridge the ongoing state funding gap between what the state funds and what it actually costs to deliver on our commitment to offer each student a quality education, safety, and resources for well-being.
This levy helps to pay for staffing and operations that are unfunded, or underfunded, by the state, such as:
- Special education
- Classroom programs and programs of choice
- Additional teachers, nurses, counselors, mental health and general staff
- Safety and security staff
- Family-Community Resource Centers
- Sports and extracurriculars like orchestra, band, choir and theater
- Maintenance and utilities for buildings and grounds

*Future tax rates are estimates and fluctuate due to changes in property assessments and area growth.

Budget information

We take our responsibility seriously to spend our money in a smart way that helps us achieve our goals of healthy students, schools, and communities, ultimately strengthening our Vancouver community.

Learn more about our budget.

A look at what the levy funds

Staffing funded by local levy dollars

Extracurricular activities

Safety support

Classroom teachers

Counseling and nursing supports

Family-Community Resource Center

Based on 2019-20 official OSPI budget reports, which is our best estimate for 2023-24 funding breakdown percentages after COVID-19 related ESSER funding ends.

“Our hope is that schools can help bring our community together with a shared focus on supporting students. We recognize there are diverse perspectives with any election and appreciate the respect our community can demonstrate for each other through elections. Our goal for this site is to provide factual information for our voters.”

Dr. Jeff Snell, superintendent

Thank you to the community for sharing the additional questions you had about the levy. Answers are provided in this report.

We think it’s important for voters to be informed about the things they are voting on. If you have additional questions leading up to the Feb. 14 election, please feel free to email them to vpscommunications@vansd.org

Levy Questions from Our Community

We have been listening to questions and comments from our community in a levy-related Thought Exchange. Thank you for your interest in learning more about the levy.

What would happen if the levy failed?

Programs that are funded by the local levy will have to be eliminated or heavily reduced. The programs and positions that are funded by the levy and will therefore face elimination or heavy staffing reductions will be within school sports, music, art, counseling, safety and nursing. A levy failure will not end state-required programs like sex education.

Why do we need to have local levies? I thought the state was supposed to fund our schools.

The state does not fully fund the programs and services we are required to provide and how we enhance our current programming. For example, 80% of our special education programs are funded by the state and we receive no funding to support extracurricular activities like sports. Approximately 12.5% of the district’s annual funding currently comes from local levy dollars.

Is this a new tax?

No. The local levy has been in place for more than fifty years, since 1964. A renewal levy is presented to voters every 2- 4 years as prior levies expire.

Taxes for the current operations and education levy are $1.90 per $1,000 of assessed value. The state allows taxes of up to $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. Will we need to raise our rate to $2.50 to retain the same level of services?

The school board adopted a rate of $1.99 per $1,000 of assessed value. There is a state limit of $2.50 per $1,000. The board considers the local tax investment along with the district’s need in adopting the levy resolution.

What kinds of safety positions are supported by the levy?

The levy supports several district resource officers. State funding supports the district’s four safety officers, while levy dollars allow the district to hire 31 safety officers, almost one per school.

Does the levy support extracurricular programs?

Yes, 100% of the staff who manage extracurricular programs, such as coaches, band teachers, and club leaders are levy funded.

Is the levy money going to be used to staff VITA and the new Ginsburg schools? Will the state kick in anything for staff for these schools?

Levy dollars are used to support all of our schools, so yes it would support Vancouver Innovation Technology and Arts (VITA) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) Elementary Schools. Staffing follows the students so as enrollment grows at new schools staffing grows with it. Students from existing schools will go to VITA and RBG so the staffing will in theory follow them.

There seem to be new positions added each year, and the district office is bloated, and yet, we don’t have bus drivers, nurses, kitchen staff, subs, etc. It's hard to trust the district with more money.

We have added positions that were made possible by Federal pandemic relief funding. Those positions will need to be absorbed back into our general budget as that funding ends. We also have positions connected to specific grants. You can view how our district compares to other districts with staffing levels for all positions on the district budget website.

The Legislature kicked in $650 million over several years for additional nurses, psychologists and counselors. Did we get money for this?

We received additional state funding in those areas and added positions as a result.

News

Thank you, voters

Thank you, voters | ¡Gracias, votantes! | Спасибо, избиратели! | Ach kapasen kinisou ngeni meinisin ekkewe aramas re úttút!

VPS levy spotlight: Teachers and paraeducators

Learn about the renewal Education and Operations levy voters will be asked to consider on the February 14th, 2023 ballot. See how the levy supports our students by funding teacher and paraeducator salaries.