On Nov. 8, The Quillayute Valley School District held a special work session to discuss the school district’s upcoming Maintenance and Operation (M&O) Levy that will be an item on the ballot for the Special Election on Feb. 14, 2017. The current four-year M&O Levy expires on Dec. 31, 2017. The school board reviewed and discussed the following items:
An M&O Levy is different from a bond levy (a bond is to build new facilities whereas an M&O Levy pays for operational items and programs not funded by the state).
The certified tax collection for the M&O Levy has been stable over the past decade due to minimal increase.
The district could levy up to $4,657,584 but is conservative and levies $628,000.
Current cost of the M&O Levy ($1.40 per $1,000 worth of real estate value) to support $628,000 tax collection; in return QVSD receives Local Effort Assistance (state matching funds) for an additional $2,908,073 or a total of $3,536,073 (annual funds).
The M&O Levy plays an important part in the funding of annual revenues for the district (levy expenditures include but are not limited to paying for salaries not provided by the state, for technology and curriculum, for general maintenance and repairs to facilities, for all extra-curricular activities, including athletics, drama, music and field trips).
Of the $3,536,073 M&O Levy funds, the following are fixed annual expenditures ($2,516,600):
$1,600,000 — Personnel (Salary) Related Costs
$ 95,000 — Curriculum — related materials/supplies or software to
$ 256,828 — Technology
$ 460,000 — Extra-Curricular Activities (athletics, drama, music)
$ 104,772 — Maintenance (Administrative Support, paint and repair)
An itemized list of budget and actual expenditures for the 2014-2017 M&O Levy
(including but not limited to the following items which are one-time only costs):
Aux Gym Re-roof
FES — Replacement of pumps and Johnson Controls
FMS — Replacement of Johnson Control Panel
FES — Repair to sidewalk by bus loop at Forks Elementary School
Freezer for Food Services in Warehouse
FES — Double Stacking Ovens
FHS — Dishwasher
FHS — Security Camera System
FMS Gym — Vertical Siding Replacement
Intermediate School — Replacement of Freezer
Independent Learning Center (FJHS) — Reroof
Motor Pool Upgrades (Trucks &Cars)
Extra-Curricular Support (uniforms, safety equipment, volleyball nets, soccer goals)
Music curriculum and instruments
Smart Boards &Installation
Asphalt Improvements
FIS — Student Drop-Off Zone Improvement
FIS — Playground and Installment
K-12 English Language Arts Curriculum Adoption
6-12 Mathematics Curriculum Adoption
FHS — New Media System in Commons
Keeping the current level of tax collection similar (with a minimal increase) to maximize Local Effort Assistance (LEA) from the state — with an estimated certified levy of $706,621, the state will provide $3,709,438 for a total of $4,416,059 per year.
Running a 4-Year Levy in order to keep the tax collection stable.
Requested items by QVSD stakeholders for the upcoming levy in addition to recurring costs.
Board members discussed the following requested items in detail with QVSD department leaders, principals and district personnel: technology (Chromebooks and headphones to meet the district goal of 1:1 ratio or having available computers for all students in all classrooms), classroom display solutions (digital displays), maintenance repair items (such as replacement of modular building for Forks Alternative School for failing roof, replacement of siding where leaking and/or rot is occurring, fixing leaks in roofing or siding of additional buildings, curriculum purchases for various grade levels and subjects, improvements to the lighting, sound and stage at FHS, custodial equipment, additional student field trips, replacement of old furniture in Forks Elementary, Forks Intermediate and Forks Junior High Schools, wash rack for bus and transportation, replacement of FES gym floor, etc.).
The QVSD Board of Directors will finalize and approve a resolution that defines the structure of the upcoming replacement Maintenance and Operation (M&O) Levy by the Dec. 13 regular board meeting for the Feb. 14 Special Election.
The board also held its regularly scheduled meeting which followed the special work session.
Some of the highlights of the Nov. 8 meeting include:
• Approval of consent agenda items.
• Superintendent Diana Reaume announced the retirement of Phemie McCracken and thanked Phemie for her many years of service. “It is hard to replace someone like Phemie who has so willingly served in a variety of roles. She has been a tremendous help and inspiration to our children throughout the years. We will miss her and the work she completed on the Public Service Education (PSE) Union board, as well.”
• Review and approval of the Forks Intermediate School Improvement Plan and priority actions and measurements. (The review and approval of Forks Junior High School and Forks High School will be approved on Nov. 22).
• Overview and discussion of the Annual Financial Statements as reported on the F-196 report: Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund Balance, Budgetary Comparison Schedules, Statement of Fiduciary Net Positions, Statement of Changes in Fiduciary Net Positions, a Schedule of Long-Term Liabilities, Report of Revenues and Other Financing Sources
• Reaume thanked Jan Haugen, director of finance, for her dedication to our schools and for her excellence of service in our finance department.
• Review of Board Policy No. 4130 “Title I Parental Involvement”
• Board members also had further discussion about bus routes and alternative solutions to including bus monitors on Early Childhood Assistance Program routes.
The QVSD Board of Directors welcomes the public to come and join our meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. in the Forks High School library.
The School Board of Directors and the superintendent will be traveling as a team to Spokane for the Washington State School Directors’ Association Annual Conference. They will hold their next regular scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, in the Forks High School library.
