Nespelem voters to decide on school levy

Nespelem area voters should have ballots in hand soon for deciding on a school levy that would turn some $34,000 of their tax dollars into an additional $318,000 in state funds.

Nespelem School District Superintendent Rich Stewart said the rate of tax on private property would come to about $2.49 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation.

The owner of a $100,000 house would pay $249 a year to support the local school, which serves about 120 students.

The levy would replace the current levy, which nets the district $32,000 at $2.14 per thousand. That four-year levy ends in 2017, when the new levy would take its place, also for four years. The school board opted not to tack on an inflation factor of three percent.

If the levy does not pass on Feb. 9, the district would offer it up for another special election in April, Stewart said.

Stewart said the money would be used for professional training for staff that would occur throughout the year and summer, and would expand the district’s program to benefit highly-capable children.

“The dollars allocated (for the highly-capable) are very little from the state and we want to have more students involved in these type of programs,” Stewart said.

Ballots must be in the mail from the county auditor by Friday.