By Tom Albright, President, Marysville School District Board of Directors
On Feb. 13, the Marysville and Tulalip community will have an opportunity to vote on two replacement levies that will maintain support for the educational programs and services students currently receive as well as provide for the improvement and maintenance of the facilities where they learn and grow. The four-year Educational Programs and Operations Levy and the Technology and Capital Projects Levy were approved by voters in 2014 and will expire at the end of 2018. February’s ballot will include a request to renew these levies and ensure local students continue to receive basic educational resources.
The Educational Programs and Operations Levy will provide funding to ensure students have enough classroom teachers and instructional aides to reduce and maintain smaller class sizes. It also provides resources to employ nurses, counselors, librarians and support staff to reinforce the health and safety of students and positive school culture. The Educational Programs and Operations Levy will also provide programs for students with special needs, and will support the arts, music, athletics, and extra-curricular programs across the district. The total request per $1,000 of assessed home value for Marysville residents is $2.97, which is 70 cents less than current levels. However, tribal members residing on reservation land are exempt from levy taxation.
The Technology and Capital Projects Levy will ensure students receive the same level of service in improved learning environments. Access to technology is a basic right in the Marysville School District. Approval of the levy will continue to provide students in grades 6 through 12 with Chromebooks for use inside and outside of the classroom, and all students from kindergarten through grade 5 will continue to have ample access to technology in the classroom. This levy also provides funding to ensure school staff receives training on best practices for incorporating technology into curriculum so all students are getting the most out of 21st Century resources.
Additionally, the levy will continue to provide students, families and the community with 24/7 Wi-Fi access across all buildings, as well as routers, power sources, and wiring to maintain capacity and improve access and speeds.
The Marysville School District also understands the importance of maintaining school buildings and facilities, and will continue to follow through on the Long-Term Master Facilities Plan, which prioritizes the most critical facility retrofits and replacements needed over the next five years. This includes roof and gutter replacements, fire system upgrades, door and hardware replacements, boiler replacements and heating improvements, floor replacements, electrical retrofits such as lighting, outlets, and intercoms, and siding replacements. A complete list of projects across the district can be found on the Long-term Master Facilities Plan at http://bit.ly/MasterFacilitiesPlan.
The four-year renewal Technology and Capital Projects Levy is projected to cost 67 cents per $1,000 of assessed home value for Marysville residents and will be reduced each year.
In total, the two levies amount to $3.64 per thousand of assessed home values – 42 cents less than current levels. As a reminder, tribal members residing on reservation land are exempt from this taxation.
The Marysville School District Board of Directors is thankful for the support provided by the community over the past four years and looks forward to continuing these efforts on behalf of students and families through a renewal of the Educational Programs and Operations Levy and the Technology and Capital Projects Levy.