Budget Breakdown: $ 2.4 million in funds raised by the Centralia School District for student support and athletics next spring

By Eric Rosane / [email protected]

The money generated by the Centralia School District tax will be put to use next spring.

It is at this time that the district collects approximately $ 2.4 million in property tax revenue and $ 700,000 in local state effort aid funds that will benefit student support services, sports, music, the arts, personnel and special education programs.

This funding is due to the lifting of the $ 9.1 million levy cover that voters in the Centralia school district approved in a special election last May. The ballot measure allowed the school district to collect $ 1.50 per $ 1,000 of assessed value starting next spring. The elevator expires at the end of 2023.

“I just think we continue to be grateful for the support of our community to offer and provide these supports to our students. It helps us grow as a district, ”Centralia Superintendent Lisa Grant told The Chronicle.

The district had fought twice, before this latest tax was passed, to secure additional funding for important programs and positions not covered by Washington State’s definition of “basic education.” .

Grant said these funds will continue to ensure that the district looks after the well-being of its students and that the necessary programs for education and extracurricular activities are in place.

Joe Vetter, the new executive director of finance for the district, said the final amount distributed by the Local Effort Assistance Dollars, which are distributed on fair terms to asset-poor school districts, could decrease due of rising property values ​​in the district.

Here’s how the $ 3.1 million is to be allocated this school year, ranked in ascending order, according to Grant and Vetter:

• $ 160,000 has been set aside to support the District Information Technology Department, a grant program called “small but powerful and needed, especially right now”.

• $ 250,000 has been allocated for “program support” including the adoption of new materials.

• $ 250,000 for music and performing arts has been accrued, the majority covering teacher and staff salaries. Grant said the district will also be able to reinstate band programs in elementary schools with these funds. “It engages the kids, it’s good for their learning, it helps them with math and it will also help develop middle and high school curricula,” she said.

• $ 300,000 will be set aside for special education and high capacity support services. The district may also hire an additional highly qualified teacher. “We get about $ 90,000 a year from the state for Highly Capable, but it’s not even a single teacher,” Grant said. This tranche of funds will also cover nursing services and add an English teacher to support ESL students.

• $ 390,000 was allocated in Classroom Assistance to help students engage in the classroom.

• $ 500,000 has been set aside for intervention and support services for students, including paraprofessionals and staff.

• $ 500,000 has also been set aside for psychological support, Grant said, which will allow the district to have a counselor in every elementary school. Grant stressed that these services are needed more than ever.

• $ 750,000 has been allocated for athletics in the school district, which includes salaries, other logistical needs and the salary of the athletic director. Grant said the district is looking to add new sports activities this year to elementary and high schools later this school year.

Grant said the district plans to continue educating the public and the school board on how these dollars are being implemented over the coming months. Vetter will host the first of several “transcripts” for the school board at its regular monthly meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, October 27.