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Battle Ground Public Schools has put a replacement property tax levy in front of voters for the Feb. 9 special election, with the district’s board of directors deciding to drop its collection rate particularly lower in the first year, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BGPS Board of Directors approved putting the replacement levy on the ballot back in November. If approved, the levy would collect from about $24.9 million in 2022 to roughly $31.6 million in 2025, according to the official ballot measure submitted to Clark County Elections.
Though initially designed to keep a levy rate of about $2.20 per $1,000 of assessed value on properties, the BGPS Board of Directors decided to make a tweak in order to have a lower rate — roughly $1.95 per $1,000 of assessed value — due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on taxpayers.
BGPS Board of Directors President Mark Watrin said district staff presented to the board a range of levy rates in October, where the board assessed that the “break point” for not having a budget deficit was at about $2.20 per $1,000 of assessed value
“But then the discussion turned towards (the fact that) we’re in unusual times,” Watrin said, “and all families are making sacrifices and drawing from their savings and tightening their belt, and we felt the school district should be the same kind of example.”
“It took some discussion, but we felt in the long run that (the lower levy) would be the best way to go,” Watrin said. He said the district’s ability to dip into reserves was a result of sound financial planning from past board compositions.
The lower levy rate for 2022 means the district will have to utilize some of its reserve funding in order to balance the budget. In taxpayer impacts, the 2022 rate, if the levy is approved, would be a drop of 55 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, resulting in a $220 drop in annual taxes from the school district for a $400,000-valued home.
The district’s decision to drop its levy rate does not come at a time when BGPS is flush with funding. Economic impacts the district has faced due to COVID-19 ranged from some decreases in enrollment to funding remote learning, as well as the costs associated with reopening school buildings up to state mandates for health and safety, BGPS Chief Financial Officer Megan Hayden explained.
Apart from COVID-19-related impacts, historically the district has relied on levy funds to operate at the level its board has seen fit. Outside of funding from the state, the levy funds a range of aspects of the district, including elective classes, drug prevention education, building maintenance, special education, and technology costs, according to information on the district website. Without it, the district would have to make cuts in various areas in order to become financially sound.
“The state doesn’t provide everything we need to help our students be successful in their future careers,” BGPS Communications Officer Rita Sanders remarked.
