Levy FAQs

Below are the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding Levies

Growing Education: What's the Difference Between a Levy and a Bond?

Video provided by ESD 114.

Levies are short-term, local property tax passed by the voters of a school district that generates revenue for the district to fund programs and services that the state does not fund or fully fund as part of "basic education". This FAQ helps breakdown some frequently asked questions.

What is Centralia School District asking the voters in this election?

In Centralia School District, the proposed levy rate is $$6.2 million in 2025 and $6.2 million in 2026. The estimated cost to property owners if approved is $1.15 per $1000 of assessed value.

How much will I pay?

The estimated cost to property owners is $1.15 per $1000 assessed property value. As an example, the typical homeowner of a $375,000 home (the median value in Centralia):

with this levy the typical homeowner will pay $432.97 per year
with this levy the typical homeowner will pay $36.08 per month
Click here for the levy calculator

How will levy funds be used?

The budgeted amount below may change as the needs of the District continue to be assessed. The budgeted amounts below are in alignment with the strategic goals of the Centralia School District.

Draft Collection Rate Comparison Proposals		Property Value Estimate	Input estimated 2025 home value
Collection Rates	$1.15	$5,369,879,743	$375,000
School and Student Climate
Student Behavioral Support	$500,000	$0.09	$34.92
Mental Health Support	$125,000	$0.02	$8.73
Districtwide Athletics	$330,000	$0.06	$23.05
High School Athletics	$395,577	$0.07	$27.62
Middle School Athletics	$154,423	$0.03	$10.78
Elementary Athletics	$20,000	$0.00	$1.40
Cispus Staff	$25,000	$0.00	$1.75
Safe & Supportive Environment
Security Resource Officer	$50,000	$0.01	$3.49
Safety & Security Coordinator	$140,000	$0.03	$9.78
Counselors	$500,000	$0.09	$34.92
Nurses	$75,000	$0.01	$5.24
Special Education	$750,000	$0.14	$52.38
Comprehensive Student Support Systems
Current Technology Staff	$475,000	$0.09	$33.17
Classroom Technology	$139,000	$0.03	$9.71
Powerful Core Instruction
Instructional Facilitators & Instructional Coaches	$750,000	$0.14	$52.38
Curriculum	$100,000	$0.02	$6.98
Additional Curriculum	$450,000	$0.08	$31.43
Visual and Performing Arts	$400,000	$0.07	$27.93
Centralia Energy Academy Initiative	$365,000	$0.07	$25.49
Diverse and Skilled Staff
*Inflationary Price Deflator Estimate	$456,000	$0.08	$31.84
Total Expenditures	$6,200,000.00	$1.15	$432.97
Collection Total	$6,200,000

Below is a description of some of the key levy funded items:

Student Behavioral Support: Behavior Specialists are critical to providing support to students who are struggling to regulate behaviors that interfere with their learning and the learning of others around them. They possess a deep understanding of behavior. They provide direct behavioral instruction to students as well as providing support and professional development to the staff within their assigned buildings. They are critical to supporting the district wide initiatives of social emotional learning, behavioral response, and student climate and culture.

Mental Health Support: Mental Health Support Specialists support the needs of students who are struggling emotionally. They are a critical part of the layers of interventions available to students and their families. They provide direct mental health services to students as well as helping families navigate the complicated outside mental health systems. They work as part of Centralia School District’s comprehensive approach to supporting the mental and behavioral health of our students while providing professional development to staff and working closely with families.

Safety and Security Officer (SRO): An SRO is an active law enforcement officer that works in the school to build relationships, address behavioral concerns, and react to situations and events requiring law enforcement involvement. The District does not currently have an SRO. An SRO is an employee of the law enforcement agency but serves and works in the schools. Historically in Centralia, the District and Centralia Police Department have split the cost of the position. The SRO works in conjunction with the Safety and Security Coordinator across all schools in the district, but would focus on the middle school and high school.

Safety and Security Coordinator: The Safety and Security Coordinator position was added in the 2023-24 school year. The position works with Centralia High School and Centralia Middle School to be proactive in managing student safety and behavior, build relationships with students, staff, families, and local law enforcement, and support behavior response and intervention. The Coordinator works closely with administrators in planning and responding to needs. The Coordinator is also part of the District Safety Committee. The position is critical to the district’s efforts to continually improve safety and security. The District’s plan is to have both positions in order to serve CHS, CMS, and the other six schools.

Counselors: School Counselors serve all students in their assigned buildings and collaborate with all staff to provide classroom, group or individual interventions to support the social emotional learning provided by classroom teachers. School Counselors support families to connect with outside agencies for resources such as food, clothing, mental and physical health. They assist students in learning coping and self-regulation skills as well as providing guidance for post-high school opportunities. The state does not fund the level of counseling services needed in schools.

Instructional Facilitators & Instructional Coaches: Instructional facilitators and instructional coaches are instrumental in supporting teachers and principals in improving instruction. On a daily basis, these staff work closely with teachers as the model lessons, provide resources and work directly with small groups of students. We currently have an instructional facilitator at every elementary school and two staff that support these efforts districtwide. They are skilled professionals that are dedicated to improving the skills and abilities of our teaching staff.

What is an Education Programs and Operations Replacement Levy?

An Education Programs and Operations Levy, previously referred to as an Maintenance Operations (M&O Levy), is a replacement levy to cover the gap between state funding and the cost of programs, services, and operations. School levies help pay for student services and programs not funded by other sources. District may run levies for up to four years and up to $2.50 per $1000 assessed property value.

How is a levy approved?

Levies are voted on by the public, when ballots are counted, a simple majority is required to pass the levy. 50% of the votes, plus 1 additional vote is required to pass a levy. E.G. 100 people voted, we need 51 people to vote yes.

If approved, when will the new levy we collected and expire?

The proposed Levy would begin in January 2025 and expire December 2026.

According to State requirements, what can levy funds pay for?

Levy funds can only be used to for enhancement and programs that are not defined as basic education. Some examples of allowable expenditures can been seen here: Limitations on Uses

I am disabled and/or a senior citizen. Am I eligible for a tax break?

Yes, Washington State law provides two tax benefit programs for senior citizens and individuals who are disabled: property tax exemptions and property tax deferrals. For more information on qualifications, please contact your local county assessor's office.

Lewis County Assessor

351 NW North St, Chehalis, WA 98532

Phone: 360-740-1392

What is a Levy rate?

A levy rate is the amount of property tax per $1000 of assessed property value to fund a voter approved levy amount. A levy rate of $1.15 means that for every $1000 of property value, the owner of the property pay up to $1.15 in taxes.

In the Centralia School District, the proposed levy rate of $6.2 million in 2025 and $6.2 million in 2026.

Is this a replacement levy?

This is not a replacement levy. Our previous levy election was not approved by our voters, and we have not been collecting levy dollars since January 2024.

What happens if this levy is not approved?

If this levy is not approved by our voters, there will be program and staff reductions. This could include teaching positions, classroom support, school sports, art, music, counseling, safety and security, and nursing services.

How does Centralia School District's request compare to area districts?

How do I register to vote?

Washington State makes it easy to register online, by mail, or in person ( at a county elections office). Find more information at: www.elections.lewiscountywa.gov/voter-registration/

How can I find out more information?

If you have visited our website at www.centraliaschooldistrict.org and you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the District Office at 360.330.7600. Our staff are happy to talk to you regarding any aspect of our levy. If you have fiscal related questions, please contact our Executive Director of Fiscal Services, Joe Vetter at [email protected].

Do all public schools receive state funding?

Yes, but the amount of funding that each district receives varies greatly based on a number of factors.

For example: Enrollment, regional cost of living differences, poverty rates, and the number of special needs or non-English speaking students all factor into the amount of state funding a district may receive. Many school districts receive some federal funding, which is mostly determined by indicators such as levels of poverty and special needs populations within a district.

Doesn't the state provide all the funding schools need to operate?

No. Washington is only legally required to fully fund what they define to be "basic education" based on a funding distribution formula referred to as the "prototypical model". This model represents the Legislature's assumptions about the costs associated with providing "basic education" to students.

For example, in a local school district with 10,000 students, the state formula only provides funding for 1.5 school nurses. The district may actually need 4 nurses, which would have to be paid for out of local levy funds not state funds. Another example is safety and security staff. For every 430 students, the prototypical model funds 1 safety and security staff member.

How does the proposed levy rate compare to historical district levy rates?

Below is a graph that shows the current proposed estimated levy rate is the lowest it has been since before 1980.

What are Bonds and Levies?