Medical Lake Schools hope you'll say 'YES?'

MEDICAL LAKE — Before the voters in Medical Lake cast their ballots on Feb. 9 for the renewal of the school district’s Educational Programs and Operations levy, superintendent Tim Ames asks that they scratch the surface and look a little deeper.

Because during what are perceived to be strange times over that last year, those who have historically supported asks for supplemental funding beyond what the state provides might be asking things like:

But your school buildings have largely been vacant for significant parts of the past two school years?

Classes have been conducted remotely?

There have been no extracurricular activities?

So why might you need MORE money — NOW — when so many are struggling?

The first thing to remember is the new request is an extension of the 3-year measure voters approved in February 2018 and replicates the $1.50 per $1,000 in property valuation. It puts in place seamless funding to carry on past the sunsetting of the current levy.

That’s down from the $1.95 number approved in 2015. The drop comes from the changes brought about by legislative action following the McCleary Decision which equalized levy rates across the state.

For Medical Lake, if the levy passes by simple majority — 50% plus one vote — it means that the collection of $1.5 million from residents will be matched with a likewise amount from what are called a levy equalization assessment. LEA monies come from the state and cover budgets affected by lack of property tax generators.

With levy approval, for Medical Lake that is $1.5 million in matching funds — $3 million total — or 11.5% their overall $26 million yearly budget.

By comparison Cheney will request $1.65 per thousand and receive the likewise LEA match.

Medical Lake is one of those unique situations in that certain portions of the student body are dependents from Fairchild Air Force Base. Additionally, other parts of the city are home to state facilities like Lakeland Village and Eastern State Hospital. None of these entities directly contribute to the tax base as does housing, business and industry in other communities.

Additional money for MLSD comes from federal impact aid to cover educating students from Fairchild parents.

But back to that notion of what happened to all that left over money that must be just stacked up in the safe?

“We’ve had some great questions from folks, like ‘Well weren’t you closed down?’” Ames said.

To the contrary he explained, “We actually started bringing kids in on September 8,” Ames said, noting live instruction was taking place with most vulnerable, students.”

“We still have to pick up the kid up in Deep Creek, run a bus to go get them whether it’s one kids are five or 10,” Ames said. “And so we’ve been running our buses since September 8.”

There has been significant other activity going on behind school walls.

“The other thing we’ve really made an attempt to do is create virtual activities,” Ames said. An example was a program called Conditioning 2.0 where coaches were allowed to participate remotely until it had to be shut down.

Clubs have met, too. “FFA (Future Farmers of America) competed virtually,” Ames said, which means salaries are being paid.

Besides paying for adequate nurses and counselors, which are, at best, funded only part-time from state education money and covered by levy funds, COVID regulations for smaller class size required hiring more teachers. Those are levy dollars.

And with about 800 of it nearly 1,900 (greatschools.org) students currently in school buildings food service continues to operate.

As winter wanes the figurative live enrollment ice jam is forecast to break. Students in both middle and high school return on Feb. 1.

Ames’ message is that yes, there is a need for new levy money, and yes they have done their best in trying times to make sure what is currently being done means they are good stewards.

That, in part, is Ames’ pitch to supporters of schools on how they vote Feb. 9.

Paul Delaney is a retired former Free Press reporter and can be reached at [email protected].