Delay Levy Cliff urged

Superintendent Smith urges local legislators to delay levy cliff

This week Superintendent Wade Smith reached out to Senator Maureen Walsh and Representatives Terry Nealey and Bill Jenkin to strongly encourage their support for HB 1059. This bill provides temporary reprieve to the "levy cliff" that is set to expire in the coming months.

“Although I am cautiously optimistic that the legislature will come to some level of school funding consensus with McCleary implications, the local levy issue, if not resolved or at least provided some level of certainty for next school year, will have dramatic negative consequences on a local level here in Walla Walla,” Smith said in his correspondence to 16^th Legislative District elected officials. “The passage of HB 1059 will provide one year of certainty to levy programs and staff, avoiding painful cuts that districts will be forced to begin discussing and planning for now as we begin to put together next year's budget.”

On a local level, without the passage of HB 1059, Walla Walla Public Schools is looking at a $1.5M reduction in levy dollars next year which would have dramatic impacts on the valuable programs that our community voted overwhelmingly to support, including music, athletics, highly capable, arts, electives, FFA, honors/AP courses, CTE, Smith noted.

“I urge all three of you to support this "temporary fix" to help avoid what will surely be significant community trauma and a drastic impact on student programming next year,” Smith said.