School district pleased with levy results

Published 4:24 pm Monday, February 15, 2010

An excited Sumner school board held its regular meeting on Feb. 10 as special election results coming in showed the school levy passing with more than 63 percent of the vote.

Levy Chair Mark Evers, who along with others, spread information to the public, said based on the budget meeting he recently attended, the district would face deeper budget cuts if the levy had failed.

Evers said he tries to be positive, but last year’s budget restraints made it difficult, but he was pleasantly surprised by the results.

“I was hoping that we’d be on the other side of 50,” he said.

The levy replaces the current levy which was approved by voters in 2006.

Twenty percent of the district’s general fund budget is from levy funds, which help pay for teachers and paraeducators, bus drivers, custodians, secretaries, student transportation services and departments including athletics, drama, music and other programs.

An estimated $75 million will be raised in the years 2011 through 2014, according to the district Web site.

In other business the school board:

• approved the revision of a policy of non-discrimination that now includes Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission wording.

• approved a revision to a policy of staff obtaining substitute teachers, so references to outdated methods are removed.

• passed an interlocal agreement between the cities of Bonney Lake, Sumner and Buckley to apply for an energy efficiency grant.

The Resource Conservation Manager Grant Program provides an adviser to assist entities with employing energy efficiency. The grant funds $50,000 for the first year and $25,000 for the second year the conservation adviser is hired.

• approved change orders to Lakeridge Middle School including road improvements, piping and revising of the fire sprinkler system.

• approved a change order to Victor Falls Elementary School regarding aspects including insulation and wiring.