District approves levy request

The Grand Coulee Dam School District Board of Directors Monday night approved a $1.1million four-year levy for maintenance and operations to go before district voters Feb. 10.

In doing so, the board followed the recommendations of a special levy committee that had met twice to flesh out a levy plan for the district.

The levy will ask district taxpayers to fund the $1,130,000 over four years, making it the third time the district has voted on a four-year levy plan.

The levy, if approved, will help the district keep class sizes small, pay for pre-school, coaching salaries, basic education, technology, school lunches, drivers education and special education, as well as a number of other programs.

If the district is successful in passing the levy, it will qualify for about $535,000 from the state.

A levy committee is being formed and interested parties are welcome to attend a meeting at 4 p.m., Jan. 8, at the new school. Karen Depew chairs the committee.

Superintendent Dennis Carlson said the new levy rate would come to $3.95 per thousand of assessed valuation. A homeowner with a $100,000 house would pay $395 a year. Currently, the levy rate is $4.55. Many homeowners, Carlson told the board, will pay lower taxes with the proposed levy than under the current levy due largely to some $20 million of increased valuation in Grant County.