Vancouver School District – New Levy Feb 2020

On your special February 2020 ballot property owners will be asked to approve a NEW..an additional levy on top of everything else. Why? Leadership overspent and over committed and needs the tax payers to bail them out. That’s the simple truth that isn’t explained. To make sure you know what’s not being said we share the following information. You vote as you see fit. Please vote. Don’t let 20% of the voters make the call.

Vancouver School District Supplemental Levy

February 2020

The VanSD is asking for a NEW levy on top of their existing levy. Specifically (from their website: https://vansd.org/levy/) The total amount of the three-year levy is $31.29 million. That is projected to be +$1.53/$1000 for 2020 and $1.95/$1000 in 2021. Before we look at what you are already paying let’s do some math on these increases.

If your home has an assessed value of $400,000 you would pay an additional 400 x $1.53 = $612 in 2020

If you home was worth $400,000 you would pay an additional 400 x $1.95 = $780. Note that you would already have paid an increase in 2020 of $612 so your property taxes would go up another $168 in 2021 over the increase in 2020.

So what are you paying now? According to the district website…

> You approved a new levy in Feb 2019 in the amount of $1.50/$1000. So a $400,000 assessed value home is paying 400 x $1.50 = $600

> You approved a “technology” levy in 2019 on top of the operations levy for $.31/$1000 = 400 x $.31/$1000 = 400 x $.31 = $124

> So you are paying $1.81/$1000 or $724 on a home worth $400,000

But wait…there’s more.

> You are paying two capital bonds. Bond #1 closes out in 2020 and they say your taxes will go down $.25/$1000 = 400 x $.25 = $100

> But wait…you approved another bond in 2017 for nearly $1 billion that has a cost of $1.52/$1000 (but they want to deduct the $.25/$1000 reduction in 2021 so they can say you are paying $1.27/$1000 MORE than the old rate). Sound a bit confusing?

> So in 2020 the bonds are costing you $.25 + $1.52/$1000 = $1.77/$1000. So that $400,000 home means your bond taxes are 400 x $1.77 = $708. In 2021, removing $.25, = $1.52

So let’s see where we are at ($400,000 assessed value home):

                                                                                              2020          2021

1. Existing levy M&O = $1.50/$1000 =                             $600          $600
2. Existing tech levy – $.31/$1000 –                                 $124          $124
3. Existing bonds = $1.77/$1000 =                                   $708         $708
4. NEW levy = $1.53 in 2020 and $1.95 on 2021 =         $612          $608

                                                                    Totals              $2044       $2040

What do they say the money will be used for?

• Hire more teachers to reduce or maintain class sizes
• Improve graduation rates
• If they don’t get more money they will need to make cuts

Here’s an article we ran on their last levy request in 2019: https://swweducation.org?p=5520

What difference have tax increases and more money had on results? https://swweducation.org?p=5872 What if we looked at testing results? https://swweducation.org?p=5757

How about testing score results? https://swweducation.org?p=4320

You judge…are you willing to spend more money on another increase?