The Mead School District is one of 17 in Spokane County with measures on the February 13 ballot. It is proposing a three-year operations levy to replace a similar measure that expires at the end of the year.
Superintendent Travis Hanson acknowledges it’s not a great time to ask people for money, so one of his selling points is “we’re struggling too.”
“Mead, like just about every other school district in the area, is really being hit hard by increased fuel charges, increased insurance costs, significant increases to utilities as well as food,” Hanson said.
And, he says, it has acted as a normal family would in these circumstances.
“This district has worked exceptionally hard to right size, to operate a bit more efficiently and a bit leaner and this district has made more than $10 million in cuts over the last few years. But we’re at a place where, if we want to sustain and maintain existing programs and potentially, in our case, if we want to make some investments in some safety and security items that we’ve identified, as well as some new curriculum, it’s going to take a little bit more to do that,” he said.
Mead’s voters have traditionally been supportive of schools and the district continues to grow. In 2018, they approved a $114 million bond issue that allowed the district to build two new elementary schools, a new middle school and Union Stadium, where the district’s sports teams play.
Hanson says he’s optimistic that strong support for schools will continue.
“I feel really good about the fact that people in so many cases have moved to this community based on the quality of the education that the Mead School District offers,” he said. “I hear a lot of the optimism around that. I hear support from people who want this to continue to be a fantastic educational experience. They want that for today’s kids and tomorrow’s kids.”
But they also want their money to be spent wisely. Hanson says he tells patrons that, if they vote for the levy, it doesn’t necessarily mean their taxes will increase.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is people think that simply because my property taxes have gone up significantly, my property values have gone up 35% in the last two or three years, that means I’m paying 35% more in my taxes. That’s not the case,” he said.
“For a school district, we have to tell people how much money we’re going to collect, so if that’s $8 million or $10 million or $20 million. Whatever amount you choose in a particular tax year is the limit to what you can collect.”
Mead’s levy needs a simple majority of votes to pass. You can read more about it at Mead’s website or at Spokane County’s online voter's pamphlet.
