2024 EP&O Levy Renewal
Thank you voters! The 2024 Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) Levy was approve by voters at the February 13, 2024 election. We are so grateful for your support!
School districts rely on local, voter-approved levy funding to cover costs that are not funded by the state. These local dollars stay in our community to support Lynden students. Lynden School District asks voters to renew an Educational Programs and Operations levy every four years. The EP&O makes up about 14% of the district’s operating budget.
The current EP&O Levy and a 4-yr Technology/Facilities Capital Levy are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2024. There is a gap between what the state funds and what it costs to ensure we are meeting the needs of every learner and the high standards the community has for our schools. Districts around the state must ask their communities to consider local funding measures to bridge the gap to provide the best and safest schools possible. Renewal of the EP&O Levy continues funding for Safe & Secure Learning Environments, Academic & Instructional Support, and Positive Student Experiences. Our EP&O Levy is not a new tax but renews a funding stream that provides 14% of our total operating budget.
What Does the EP&O Levy Support?
Safe & Secure Learning Environments–
- School counseling and nursing personnel across the district; mental health coordinator position.
- Maintenance of our security & surveillance program (cameras); access controls/secured main entries at each of the schools; LHS school security personnel.
- Dean of Students, school administrator staffing levels, and lunch supervision personnel to improve student behaviors and hold students accountable for unsafe/disruptive behaviors.
- Continued expansion of district’s use of technology and staff on buses to improve monitoring of student behavior and create safer environments for all while traveling to and from school.
Academic & Instructional Support–
- Teacher staffing levels to maintain lower class sizes while also providing fair and competitive salaries comparable to other county schools.
- Paraeducator staffing levels to operate our multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) while also providing fair and competitive salaries comparable to other county schools. Systems of support include elementary intervention programs such WIN and Extended Day, AVID at the secondary levels, highly capable and multilingual programs, Positive Behavior Intervention & Support (PBIS), and social & emotional learning programs across the PK-21 programs.
- Robust elective courses in secondary schools and specialist classes at the elementary levels.
- The levy also backfills the general fund (basic ed) used to cover the state’s underfunding of Special Education services. Close to $2 million of local tax in 2022-2023 was used to provide services and supports outlined in student Individual Education Plans (IEPs).
Positive Student Experiences –
- Athletics, band, music, drama, clubs & activities at the secondary level. The state does not provide any funding for extracurricular programs resulting in most activities occurring outside the school day being funded 100% by the EP&O Levy.
- Maintain community use of district facilities at no, or very minimal cost, when activity involves youth.
What is the cost?
With two levies expiring, the EP&O tax rate is estimated to continue at $1.84 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
| Collection Years | Estimated Levy Rate/ $1000 Assessed Value | Levy Amount |
| 2025 | $1.84 | $10,150,000 |
| 2026 | $1.84 | $10,750,000 |
| 2027 | $1.84 | $11,400,000 |
| 2028 | $1.84 | $12,075,000 |
The total tax rate of both funding initiatives and the current LMS/Fisher bond is estimated to be $3.96 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The community approves a total amount of money collected, not the rate, so the tax rate could go down as more properties are built in our community.
Past Levies
In 2020, the Lynden community approved a Facilities and Technology Levy which allowed the district to provide laptops for students and address maintenance issues and upgrade classroom technology.
