A majority of voters have renewed their support for educational programs and upgrades to facilities and technology at South Whidbey Schools.

According to the Nov. 7 count, the replacement levy for capital improvements passed with about 65% of the vote, while the replacement levy for educational programs and operations passed with almost 66%.

In an email to The Record, School Board Member Brook Willeford thanked the community for backing the two ballot measures.

“The people of South Whidbey have always supported public education, and thus far it looks like that passionate support will continue through this election,” he wrote. “These levies will allow the district to continue to support student learning and student and staff safety and comfort.”

According to information available on the district’s website, these property tax levies, which get renewed periodically and will expire in 2025, are the second largest revenue source for the schools, making up 16% of the general fund.

The expiring Educational Programs and Operations Replacement Levy will collect $3.6 million in its final year. The renewed levy, which expires in 2028, will collect $3.9 million in 2026, $4 million in 2027 and $4.1 million in 2028 — or $12 million in total.

The levy rate will be about 43 cents for every $1,000 of assessed property value in 2026, 41 cents per $1,000 in 2027 and 39 cents per $1,000 in 2028.

This tax supplements areas that are unfunded or underfunded by the state. These include sports, art and music programs, the wages of teachers and paraeducators, and the cost of school supplies, technology and transportation.

The capital improvements levy will collect $2.25 million in 2025. Between 2026 and 2031, that will increase by $2.5 million each year, adding up to $15 million.

The district estimates it will collect 28 cents for every $1,000 of property value in 2026, down to 19 cents in 2031, according to the district’s levies webpage.

In the next six years, this money will pay for a variety of improvements aimed at maximizing efficiency, security and wellness.

These include modernizing classroom furniture, meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards, upgrading the heating, ventilation and air conditioning control systems, modernizing lock systems, repairing and replacing fences, renovating the plumbing and stormwater systems and more.

Some might be unclear about the difference between the capital improvements levy and the $79.8 million bond, something that Board Member Joe Greenheron said constituents asked about at a recent Community Council meeting in Clinton.

The bond was approved in 2023 and serves the purpose of funding facility improvements.

In his email, Willeford explained that while bonds are one-time loans that pay for big projects, levies are collected in smaller batches twice a year to pay for ongoing needs and small- or medium-sized projects.

The new capital improvements levy will pay for smaller projects not covered by the bond, such as the improvement of parking lots, sidewalks and driveways, the replacement and repair of roofs or the improvement of sports fields, gymnasiums and the auditorium and stage facilities, according to the levies’ web page.

Currently, the bond is funding the siding of the middle school and the high school, the replacement of the field, updates to the elementary school playground and updates to the middle and high school courtyard, Willeford wrote, adding that the timeline for these projects will depend on the county’s permitting process and the schedule of the contractors.

“It would take multiple years of zero spending on repairs and maintenance issues to have enough money from the levy in order to afford some of the projects being covered by the bond,” Willeford wrote.