Pioneer district seeks replacement levy

The Pioneer School District is asking district residents on the Feb. 14 general election ballot to approve a replacement levy that will cover educational programs and operations.

If passed by a simple majority, property owners would be assessed an estimated $1.28 for every $1,000 of assessed property value from 2024 through 2027. The owner of a home valued at $300,000 would pay about $384 per year, or about $32 per month, the district states.

If passed, the levy would collect $2,802,110 in 2024, $2,886,173 in 2025, $2,972,758 in 2026, and $3,061,940 in 2027.

The district stresses the measure is not a new tax, but the proposed continuation of an EP&O levy passed by voters that expires at the end of 2023. The district states that levy dollars cover 21% of the overall cost of school district operations. State and federal programs fund almost all of the rest.

"All the schools in the state rely on levies to backfill what the state doesn't fund," said Superintendent Jeff Davis.

In the Pioneer School District, which has about 750 students in prekindergarten through the eighth grade, the levy partially or entirely pays for lower class sizes, afterschool academic tutoring for students, athletic programs, transportation costs not covered by the state, music and art education, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs, classroom paraeducator support, reading and math specialists, student field trips, outdoor school, the community garden, counselors, and updated curriculum in reading, math, science and social science.

The levy also pays for support staff not covered by the state, including paraeducators, food service, custodial, building secretaries, and business and personnel operations.

"The state doesn't fully fund special education," Davis said.

The district's budget for this school year is $14,049,646. The levy pays $2,717,133 of that, with the rest coming from the state ($8,718,688), the federal government ($2,510,765) and other revenue sources ($103,060).

The district has 60 certified staff members, and 58 classified employees. Sixty-seven percent of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

Pioneer residents are supportive of the schools, Davis said.

"I think this is a really good place for kids, and we want to continue with improvements to everything we do," he said.

Seniors and residents with disabilities can qualify for tax exemptions from all or part of levy property taxes. For more information, call the Mason County Auditor's Office at 360-427-9670, extension 491.