Have you gotten your ballot yet? If so, we hope you won’t wait to mark your ballot in favor of the Oroville School Levy.

Oroville School District is asking voters to replace the two-year Educational and Programs Levy, which is being collected through this year, with a new two-year levy for collection in 2027 and 2028.

Igrew up in Oroville and still appreciate the support my parents and all the other local taxpayers gave when they voted for the levy. However, passage wasn’t always a sure thing. I remember the days when Oroville failed to pass the levy and the district was thrown into turmoil, trying to figure out how to pay for things that were just as important to education then as they are today. By reversing that trend in the late 1970s and passing every levy since, Oroville has been able to keep up with its students’ educational needs, as well as maintain the buildings that have served the district well for decades. Sometimes it took asking twice, but they always passed.

I’ve also seen what happened in other school districts whose levies failed multiple times. It took several years of passing new levies for those districts to get where they could catch their breath and regain their financial footing.

It seems counterintuitive that those levies in the 1970s were for much more money than being asked today. They were in the $7.00 per $1,000 dollars of property evaluation range back then for levy amounts that were a lot less. However, as the property valuation of our school district increased, the levy amounts being asked per thousand decreased. And the various school directors over the past several levies have wisely chosen not to increase the dollars per thousand amounts. In 2027, the district is not asking for anything like $7.00/$1,000 but instead asks for $2.14 per $1,000 in property valuation, for a total collected that year of $1,882,577. Then in 2028, the amount drops to $1.97 per thousand dollars to collect the same $1,882,577.

And, according to Washington state law, qualified senior citizens, people with disabilities and veterans may receive exemptions from property taxes for school levies, based on income thresholds.

Of course, the most important thing is this Educational and Programs Levy is decided by the local community, those who live within the Oroville School District’s boundaries, through our vote. The levy is also put together by the local school board, people who live within the district, with input from the community. It is one of the few areas where we still have local control when it comes to government.

So, I encourage you to go out and support the kids of our community and perhaps pay back the debt you owe for when the generations before you voted to support your school when you were growing up. The kids deserve to get the tools they need to find jobs, so they can raise families of their own someday, if they choose, and send their kids to a good school.

The kids also deserve every chance we can afford to give them so they can become good citizens and productive members of the community.

Remember, your ballot must be postmarked by Feb. 10 or dropped in the ballot box outside the Oroville Police Station by that date.

For further information on what your tax dollars are being spent on, visit: https://oroville.ss19.sharpschool.com/district/levy_information.