Prosser Consolidated School District No. 116-219 Proposition No. 1.......... Pgs

Local Ballot Measure Prosser Consolidated School District No. 116-219 Proposition No. 1

REPLACEMENT OF EXPIRING MAINTENANCE, OPERATION AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS LEVY

The Board of Directors of Prosser Consolidated School District No. 116-219 adopted Resolution No. 01-22, concerning a proposition to finance educational programs and operation expenses. This proposition would authorize the District to levy the following excess taxes, replacing an expiring levy, on all taxable property within the District, for educational programs and operation expenses not funded by the State:

Collection Year Estimated Levy Rate/$1,000 Assessed Value Levy Amount

2023 2024 $2.13 $2.13 $3,782,032 $3,895,493

all as provided in Resolution No. 01-22 and subject to legal limits on levy rates and amounts at the time of levy

Should this proposition be approved?

LEVY YES

LEVY NO

Explanatory Statement

PROPOSITION NO. 1 – REPLACEMENT OF EXPIRING MAINTENANCE, OPERATION AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS LEVY

Passage of Proposition No. 1 would allow Prosser Consolidated School District to replace an existing educational programs and operation levy that will expire at the end of calendar year 2022. The taxes collected by this replacement levy will be used to pay for expenses of educational programs and operation that are not fully funded by the State of Washington. These expenses include, but are not limited to: technology; athletics; smaller class sizes; school safety; instructional materials; special education; maintenance; student activities; teaching and support staff and other educational programs and operation expenses. Taxes collected by the proposed replacement levy will provide approximately 9.2% of the District’s General Fund budget. Further information is available on the District’s website at http://prosserschools.org/.

The proposed two-year replacement educational programs and operation levy would authorize collection of taxes to provide up to $3,782,032 in 2023 and $3,895,493 in 2024. The levy rate required to produce these amounts is estimated to be $2.13 per $1,000 of assessed value. The exact levy rates and amounts to be collected may be adjusted based upon the limitations imposed by State law at the time of the levy. Exemptions from taxes may be available to certain homeowners. To determine if you qualify, call the Benton County Assessor at 509.786.2046 or Klickitat County Assessor at 509.773-3715.

The Official Ballot Title was written by the Prosser School District as required by law. The Benton County Auditor is not responsible for the content of arguments or statements.

Committee & Contact Information Pro Committee

Dr. Timothy Straub

Committee Contact # (509) 781-1223 Committee & Contact Information Con Committee

Jeff Heckathorn

Committee Contact # (425) 341-3029

14 Prosser Consolidated School District No. 116-219 | Proposition No. 1 Pro Committee Statement

As a former high school teacher at Prosser High School and concerned community member, I am urging you to vote “YES” for the Prosser School District Maintenance, Operations and Educational Programs Levy on April 26. Now, more than ever, we need to provide the best support for our students and families as we emerge from the pandemic. The MO&E levy provides the funding for the day-to-day operations of PSD. From maintaining busses that transport our students, utilities, building upkeep and repair, supporting student programs, and paying wages and benefits to our teachers and support staff, the MO&E levy provides vital funding to teach our kids to become the community leaders of tomorrow. Voting “YES” also provides state levy equalization money to fund the gap between our taxes and what it costs to operate our schools. To be clear, the MO&E levy does not fund new construction, capital improvement projects, or consultants. Other funding sources and grants address those needs. For the expiring levy, we are currently paying $2.13/$1,000 assessed property value. The 2-year replacement levy requests the same amount. Seniors on a fixed income making less than $45,000/year qualify for property tax relief. With expected growth in Prosser, it is hoped that the levy amount will stay the same or even decrease. The past 2 years have been hard on our community and our school district. Please, let us come together and vote “YES” for our kids.

Pro Committee Rebuttal Con Committee Statement

In 2018, the McCleary Decision was promised to be a levy swap. Instead, state school property taxes increased dramatically and local school taxes never went away and are again spiraling out of control. This levy is a 21% tax hike over the previous 2 years - hardly a replacement. The State School category on property tax bills have gone up 57% since McCleary. Not some but all of that State School tax on your bill goes to the Prosser SD. The teachers’ union and district administrators have all seen their compensations rise substantially faster than inflation since McCleary - in fact a major cause of inflation. Per pupil expenditures including capital outlays and interest on debt are now at $20,800. That’s more than almost all private schools and more than tuition and books at UW! The argument that this levy is for a certain few duty types is disingenuous and heartless at best. The district complains that this levy fills the gap left from state legislators. The legislators are correct in saying no to the district. Local voters should do the same. Nearly all districts try to just focus on how our property tax rates will remain nearly flat as if that has or will do us any favors. A flat tax rate multiplied by skyrocketing assessed property values equals skyrocketing taxes in dollars (paid for by property owners and renters in their rents). Please provide your input to the political process and vote. More details at, https://urldefense.com/ v3/__http://www.SchoolDataProject.com__;!!IJPaFG91URQ!YBGry1OXRecSZ-mxCzGdH0MY3YUAIcitYEx7vsJVP5-8OG_wZ6I9wwnnA8G-Z24PEDIspNk4rm4$ Con Committee Rebuttal

SchoolDataProject.com shows that current expenditures for the Prosser School District (inflation adjusted) are relatively flat. Cited increases are due to the bond. PSD residents are currently spending less in state school tax and levy dollars than tax years 2016, 2017 or 2018. Without the MO&E, PSD will lose $3.8M plus a loss of $1.5 million from State levy equalization funds. The MO&E levy pays for the educational enrichment of our children. Vote YES! The pro levy committee fails to mention the fact that we had the McCleary Decision and resulting, substantial, property tax increases across the state in 2018. Your property tax bill categories of State School all end up, along with the other school categories, at the Prosser SD - in total. In 2020-2021, the district was already spending $20,800 per student including capital outlays and interest on debt - more than enough. Taxpayers have limits.

Local Voters’ Pamphlet These statements are printed exactly as submitted with no spelling, grammatical or other corrections made. The candidate or campaign committee is responsible for content.