SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012 n VOL. 45, NO. 5 n 75¢
Caught in the act
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Orcas district puts M&O levy before voters; grapples with $120,00 budget shortfall Editor/Associate Publisher
Colleen Smith Armstrong/staff photo
Chris Gill/WestBoundary photography
Schools on February ballot by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG
Above: A local squirrel was discovered nibbling on flowers. To submit your cool island photograph (in high resolution), email it to editor@islandssounder.com.
Vikings sports – PG 8
The February special election is all about island schools. Orcas, Lopez and San Juan School districts each have a measure on the Feb. 14 ballot. Lopez is seeking approval on a bond that would pay back non-voted debt while both Orcas and San Juan are requesting a levy. Orcas School District’s maintenance and operations levy is replacing one that was approved by voters in February 2010. “It pays for up to 25 percent of our budget,” said school board chair Tony Ghazel. “We need to get this renewed so we can keep the programs that we offer to our students intact. If we don’t get this levy, we will have a major budget shortfall and lay off a lot of people. That translates to not having the classes and programs that we currently offer to students.” The levy rate for 2011 was 55 cents per thousand of assessed property valuation. The replacement rate for 2013 is slightly less: 54 cents per thousand. Ballots are due by Feb. 14. The levy funds operating expenses such as teachers, staff,
utilities, supplies and maintenance. It would begin in 2013 and end in 2016. The rates are as follows: 2013: $0.54 per $1,000 assessed value, total levy: $1,880,000 2014: $.052 per $1,000 assessed value, total levy: $1,880,000 2015: $0.54 per $1,000 assessed value, total levy: $1,990,000 2016: $.052 per $1,000 assessed value, total levy: $1,990,000 The levy amounts listed above are the maximum amounts that can be collected. The amount collected may be less if the state legislature changes funding or the laws about levies or if the district budget is less than projected. In 2013, for property valued at $250,000, the tax would be $135. For property valued at $500,000, the tax would be $270. “It’s something the public has supported us on over the years, but I am not taking anything for granted,” Ghazel said. “If this doesn’t pass we’ll be in dire straights.” The school was also on the November 2011 ballot for a $900,000 capital levy to pay back non-voted debt that was incurred to make upgrades to the elementary school. Orcas Island voters approved the measure by 61.18
by CALI BAGBY Journal staff reporter
For the last six years, Suzi Marean carried around a black pager, and when it went off she jumped into action – whether at noon or 1 a.m., she was ready to pick up the phone. “They are often crying and scared,” Marean said of her callers. “And feeling fear, betrayal and guilt. We really try to calm them and make sure they feel they have us to lean on and then
help them make sense of their feelings.” But over the years the lightweight pager felt like a pile of bricks on her hip. “I did grow weary of being the only one on Lopez to answer calls,” she said. “The weight of the pager got pretty heavy and then other times I forgot it was there, but it was always in some corner of my mind.” Marean has been a community advocate and the sole advocate on Lopez for the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services of the San Juan Islands. She was on duty 24 hours a day, receiving a majority of calls between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. Sometimes months would go by without a single call, while other months brought in constant pleas for help.
Tough decisions for rest of school year When the school board approved its budget last July, it expected growth in its enrollment. That hasn’t happened and now the district is facing a financial shortfall. “A lot of revenue we expected is going down considerably,” Ghazel said. “When we passed the budget, we knew if we didn’t get enough students that we’d be in this situation. Our revenue did not meet our expectations. The growth we anticipated did not happen.” The board is looking at a $120,000 shortfall. Possible areas that will be reduced are paraeducators, maintenance, admin or office staff and spring athletics. Another option is dipping into the district’s fund balance. “I’m not happy to do that, but we might have to,” Ghazel said. “This is not a good time. We’ve worked so hard to get the fund balance to where we are comfortable, and now we might have to use some of it.” The board will make decisions about the budget during a special meeting on Weds., Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. in the school library.
Sounder deadlines
DVSAS welcomes new prevention coordinator Kim Bryan is Lopez advocate and county-wide prevention coordinator
percent. That levy is for one year only and is specifically for paying back the debt.
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How to reach us contributed photo
New DVSAS advocate for Lopez, Kim Bryan. Now Marean has handed the pager literally and figuratively to Kim Bryan. At her retirement party in December, Marean carefully enclosed the pager in wrapping paper, tied it with a bow and presented it to her successor. Bryan worked as a pediatric nurse for 16 years and was the director of a domestic vio-
SEE DVSAS, PAGE 6
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