CAMANO: School district asking voters to renew levy (SCN)

Isabella Loy reports on the Stanwood-Camano School District’s levy for the Stanwood Camano News.

The Stanwood-Camano School District is asking voters to renew its Educational Programs and Operations levy in the Feb. 13 special election…. The current EP& O levy is a longstanding tax in Stanwood-Camano and has been supported by voters in the area since at least 1964…. The EP&O levy represents about 16% of the district’s annual budget.

They Said It

Superintendent Deborah Rumbaugh said if this levy were to fail, the district  would face serious cuts; ones that will likely affect every student in the district.

“We’d be entering cuts we haven’t seen in 60 years,” she said….

To what extent classes and programs are reduced would be decided later with input from students, staff and the community as part of a budget reduction plan, according to [Evan Caldwell, director of communications for the district] and Rumbaugh.

“Everything is on the table,” Rumbaugh said….

Rumbaugh said she believes a strong community creates strong schools, and vice versa.

“When we fund schools, those young people take care of us,” she said….

Rumbaugh said the Stanwood-Camano School District aims to keep its levy amount low. Currently, the only districts in Snohomish County with lower rates are Edmonds, Darrington and Index….

“We know families are busy,” Rumbaugh said.

“They get that ballot in the mail, it gets set on the counter, the day comes and goes and it’s still sitting on the counter.”

Rumbaugh said the district  has been focusing on community outreach to encourage people to pick the ballot up and vote.