Vote yes to keep education alive

To The Eagle:

On social media we are seeing some folks campaigning against the levy whose end goal appears to be that Wahkiakum school district ceases to exist. They are possibly misinformed about the costs of doing that.

According to Washington State, Wahkiakum currently has the third lowest special levey rate of all counties in the state, at $1.90/$1,000. Source: https://dor.wa.gov/about/statistics-reports/average-levy-rates-county-interactive-data-graphic.

Our estimated levy rate if the levy passes is $1.78/$1,000. Source: Voters pamphlet.

If these folks have their way and our district disappears, we should expect to be absorbed by the Longview School District, and we will be paying their current levy rate of $3.51/$1,000. Source: https://www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/21976/Segregated-Levy-Rates-2021p.

So, if they have their way we will be paying about twice what we do now. But that is not the worst result: we will lose local control of our school district, our kids will get lost in Longview's school system, our community identity as Mules will be lost, and we will lose the economic impact of state money into our community via the schools. In short: higher taxes and lost kids. Do you want this also?

Please vote yes to keep education alive in our county. Thank you.

Ron Wright

Puget Island