By Bill Reynolds
La Conner Schools officials expressed gratitude Tuesday night for voter support shown in early returns for the district’s four-year, $1.49 million technology and modernization levy proposal.
Unofficial returns posted at 8:30 p.m., a half-hour after polls closed, showed that 1,185 school district voters (73%) had cast ballots in favor of the ballot measure. There were 435 no votes (27%) tallied.
La Conner Schools Superintendent David Cram was thankful for how the election was taking shape.
“On behalf of La Conner School District, I want to extend my sincere thanks to our community for supporting the Capital Technology Levy,” Cram said. “This levy represents an important investment in our students, our staff, and the future of our schools.”
It has been 10 years since the school district last collected levy monies earmarked for technology upgrades. School officials set this levy rate at just over 30 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation, which they intended as a modest proposal to not unnecessarily burden district taxpayers.
When school board members set the levy rate earlier this year, they calculated that the cost to a property owner with a $500,000 home would be about $150-$155 annually, or around $12.50 per month.
“We appreciate our local community by supporting our students with this capital and tech levy,” said La Conner School Board President Susie Deyo. “We need to continue to lobby our state legislators and governor to fully fund public education to eliminate the need for these special tax levies.”
The levy funding, to be collected in 2027 through 2030, would allow the district to address both classroom technology and campus facilities needs. Cram and board members have noted that many of the laptop computers used by La Conner staff and students are more than a decade old.
Levy revenue would also support the district’s security systems, phones, electronic connectivity, and communication platforms as well as enable long-sought remodeling projects.
Prior to the election, school leaders had expressed concern that if the levy were to fail the district would need to find alternative funding sources and make cuts to salaries and benefits.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
