Bend-La Pine Schools voted unanimously to present a five-year local option levy on the May ballot dedicated to bridging the funding gap and providing resources for student-focused programs and services. If voters approve, the levy will establish a tax rate of $1 dollar per $1,000 dollars of assessed property value.
A levy is a fee on taxes that cannot exceed five years in duration and must be a fixed rate or amount each year. It would provide the district with a little over $21 million in the first year, although the measure could have the potential to increase property taxes by more than three percent.
Utilizing the funds provided through the current state funding model, the Bend-La Pine School District, which serves over 17,000 students in 33 schools, is unable to fully finance student-focused programs and operation-needs.
“We really need more than what we’re getting from government funding and I feel like this is really important for our students,” said Bend-La Pine Board Member Cameron Fischer.
If approved, the funds from the local option levy would be dedicated to maintaining class sizes, strengthening and adding career technical education pathways, recruiting and retaining teachers, increasing advanced academic offerings, improving support systems for struggling students and enhancing elective offerings.
“It’s a well rounded approach of addressing student needs academically and holistically,” said Fischer.
After completing several rounds of polling, the district found that over 42% of those polled were willing to pay more taxes because they believe students deserve more funding while 52% said they were willing to pay at least $20 per month. Overall, the levy would help the district develop strategies that prepare students for career success and lifelong learning.
