The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - School districts in Walla Walla and Columbia counties celebrated Valentine's Day with wonderful news - their communities approved levies that will keep schools operating and performing at top levels for the next two to four years.

Superintendents, school board members and district staff members were happy to see the results roll in Tuesday night around the Touchet Valley.

Prescott School District's two- year maintenance and operations levy was approved in Walla Walla County with 128 yes votes, 68.45 percent, and 59 no votes, 31.55 percent. Columbia County voters added four votes for the levy, and two votes against.

Waitsburg School District's two-year maintenance and operations levy was approved in Walla Walla County with 277 yes votes, 64.87 percent, and 150 no votes, 35.13 percent. In Columbia County, voters added 27 votes for the levy, and nine votes against.

Dixie School District's maintenance and operations levy was approved with 110 votes, 63.95 percent, and 62 no votes, 36.05 percent.

Dayton School District had two levies on the ballot and voters approved both. The fouryear maintenance and operations levy was approved with 744 votes, 57.99 percent, and 539 no votes, 42.01 percent.

The capital levy was approved with 697 votes, 54.41 percent, and 584 no votes, 45.59 percent.

Prescott Superintendent Bill Jordan was thrilled to watch the overwhelming approval come in Tuesday night.

It is the first levy election the new superintendent has ran for the district.

"I'm excited," Jordan said. "I'm happy about the vote and the confidence the community has in the board and the district."

Jordan said he had been in contact with all of his school board members to share the good news.

"This is a big night for us," he added.

The Prescott School District asked for $585,000 each year in 2013 and 2014 in a maintenance and operations levy to keep the district's buildings and programs up and running.

The levy is expected to cost taxpayers $2.39 per $1,000 of assessed property value the first and second years of the levy. The current levy, passed in 2010, expires in December 2012. The current levy costs residents $2.60 per $1,000 assessed value.

The levy money from taxpayers covers the district's programs and services including the school library, health clinic support, employee training, classroom materials, physical education, music, sports, food services, facility and grounds maintenance, technology and increased utility costs.

Dr. Carol Clarke, Superintendent of the Waitsburg School District, was calm and collected Tuesday night after learning her two-year levy was approved.

"It's a very thankful confi rmation of the support of our community for our schools," Clarke said. "We know the schools will benefit, but more greatly, the students will benefi t."

The levy was approved for $882,000 over two years to maintain school programs and facility operations in Waitsburg.

The district will collect $435,000 in the 2013 collection year, and would cost residents $ 3.62 per $ 1,000 assessed property value. The second year of the levy would bring the district $447,000 for the 2014 collection year and cost residents $3.72 per $1,000.

With the levy money, the district pays for textbooks, athletics, activities, employees, science materials, technical support, full-day kindergarten and general maintenance and operations of the district's facilities.

For the current levy that is expiring, the district brought in $410,000 in 2011 by taxing residents $3.41 per $1,000 of assessed property value. In 2012, the district will receive $422,000 and cost taxpayers $3.51.

For Dayton's two levies, the district will receive money to keep its facilities up and running, and also some money for new high school bleachers and technology money to keep computer systems up to date.

Dayton's new maintenance and operations levy will be run over four years and collect $1.3 million for the district each year.

The proposed levy will cost $2.33 per $1,000 assessed property value the first year, and drop to about $2.26 per $1,000 near the levy's end. The tax amount is a few pennies less than what residents are paying on the current levy.

The district has asked for $180,000 in a one-year collection for the bleachers that will cost residents 32 cents per $1,000 assessed value.

The second part of the capital levy will collect $75,000 over each year for four years for technology. This part of the levy would cost taxpayers 14 cents per $1,000 assessed value each year.

The first year will cost taxpayers 46 cents per $1,000 for both the bleachers and technology. The last three years of the levy will cost taxpayers 14 cents per $1,000 for technology only.