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Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Levies discussed at board meeting
Damage caused by an out-of-date roof at Davenport High School may force the closure of a classroom this winter.
DAVENPORT-After a unanimous vote by the school board, the school district accepted a $500,000 emergency grant for repairs to the high school roof from the state Superintendent of Public Instruction at the board's special meeting Monday, Oct. 16.
The high school roof is in bad shape. Leaks occurred frequently during the 2022-23 snow season, filling up to 12 "buckets full," superintendent Chad Prewitt said.
The high school SPED classroom may have to close this winter due to roofing issues. But construction will be underway next summer on a new roof, Prewitt said.
No warranties are in place for the original roofing.
Also during the board's meeting, D.A. Davidson Managing Director Cory Plager gave a presentation regarding levies and bonds.
The school district's current education programs and operations levy and capital levy expire after this year, and such funding will have to go before the voters in a special February election.
But the length of the levy, what type of levy and how much money the levy will request from voters has yet to be determined.
An education and program levy, currently valued at approximately $2.50 per $1,000 assessed property value, would fund programs outside the state's definition of basic education. It requires a simple majority to pass.
Historically, Davenport has seen overwhelming success passing this type of levy. But, Plager noted, the district hasn't tried to pass such a levy since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and statewide EP&O levy passage success rate has decreased from 98% between 2013-2017 to between 87% and 88% since 2021.
Davenport's current four-year EP&O levy was approved by 64.05% of voters in Feb. 2020, just before the pandemic began.
The capital projects levy, currently valued at approximately $1.15 per $1,000 assessed property value, passed with 63.85% voter approval that same election. Capital projects levies also require a simple majority to pass.
Statewide success of capital levy passage has also dipped since COVID. After a 97% success rate in 2019, just 80% of levies passed in 2022 and 83% passed in 2023.
No decisions were proposed or passed Monday, with more levy discussion expected at future board meetings.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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