Mary M. Knight levy on Tuesday ballot

Voters in the Mary M. Knight School District have until Tuesday to cast their ballots for the district's proposed replacement levy.

The district is asking for the passage of a two-year school education levy - formerly known as a maintenance and operations levy - that would collect $586,187 for the 2023 tax year and $639,632 for the 2024 tax year. The levy would replace a two-year levy passed by voters in February 2020 by 53.33%.

If the levy passes on the Feb. 8 ballot, district homeowners will be assessed a maximum of $2.33 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, which is lower then the current levy of $2.50 per $1,000. The current levy expires at the end of the year.

If the levy passes, the district will qualify for additional levy equalization money of about $2 million, said Superintendent Matt Mallery. "Mary M. Knight is not a property-rich district like some others," Mallery said. He added, "We're always trying to be good stewards of the community's resources."

Local levy money pays for programs, projects and activities not funded by the state.

"They touch on almost all of the elements of the district," Mallery said.

The levy money is used to pay for additional teachers, athletics and activities, food services, instructional materials, administrative services, classroom furniture and equipment, transportation, special education, Chromebooks, digital materials, and specialists in P.E., math and reading.

If the levy request doesn't get a simple majority, the Mary M. Knight School Board will survey district residents on their thoughts and probably run an altered request in April or August, the superintendent said.

The district has about 165 students in kindergarten through the 12th grade. About 18% of them live in Grays Harbor County and those families are also casting ballots.