Voters Ok Maintenance, Operating Levies

The aye’s have it in the North Side school districts.

Voters in the Deer Park, Nine Mile Falls and Riverside School Districts all approved their maintenance and operating levies.

And North Side Spokane schools will be better off as a result of district voters approving a $74.5 million bond as well as a two-year, $74.5 million levy.

Browne Elementary school will be rebuilt with $7 million and Rogers High School will get a $6 million facelift.

“It’s like Christmas all over again,” said Rogers principal Wallace Williams. “We’re real excited. In a sense, we can look at this as our report card.

“This enables us to go on into the future and forge ahead. It was a very positive and rewarding thing,” he said. “We’ve lived with some situations that weren’t good for kids. Now we can change that.”

Riverside voters also approved a $2.6 million bond for modernization and technology.

The voters in the Mead School District will cast their ballots on a $25 million bond measure and regular maintenance and operating levy on March 10.

Nine Mile Falls voters approved a two year, $2.3 million levy by 78 percent.

Two-thirds of the districts boundaries sit in Stevens County, the other third in Spokane County.

Stevens County residents voting yes outnumbered no voters by a margin of 656 to 127. In Spokane County the yes voters beat out the no votes by 292 to 145.

“I would have to say that with the 77.7 vote of confidence, I’m extremely pleased,” said Nine Mile Falls superintendent Don Baumberger.

“We had an M&O committee that was extremely active. It had a good information system. When people know and understand the facts on the table, they usually step up in the affirmative.”

In other elections, Deer Park voters gave 72.2 percent approval (976 to 376) to a two-year, $1 million levy. The total includes both Spokane and Stevens County voters. Riverside voters approved their bond by a margin of 63 percent to 37 percent while approving a levy by 68 percent to 32 percent.

, DataTimes