What are school levies for?
Levies provide local funding that bridges the gap between what state and federal governments pay for and the actual costs of operating our schools. Levies make up about 11.7% of the district's total operating revenue.
With state revenues down, we anticipate state funding cuts. Locally-approved funding will help fill the gap between what the state funds and what our students and teachers need to be successful.
School levies also activate equalization dollars from the state called Local Effort Assistance (LEA). When a levy is passed, the state provides matching dollars to enhance student access to educational enrichments.
What will the levy cost taxpayers?
If approved by voters on Feb. 9, the estimated levy tax rate for Mead School District would be $2.00 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. For a $300,000 home, that equals $600 per year or $50 per month.
The table below shows the previous and upcoming tax rates for the District, which will remain among lowest in the Spokane County area.
Year | Levy | Bonds | Total ($/$1,000 assessed home/property value) |
2017 | $4.01 | $1.27 | $5.28* |
2018 | $3.68 | $1.19 | $4.87* |
2019 | $1.50 | $1.93 | $3.43 |
2020 | $1.47 | $1.86 | $3.33 |
2021 | $1.47 | $1.86 | $3.33 |
2022-24 | $2.00 | $1.86 | $3.86** |
What does a levy fund?
The current levy funds many different areas that fall outside of state-funded basic education, including items our community has come to expect of the Mead School District: