Superintendent

Greetings and good morning.

Following Tuesday's elections, I wanted to take a moment to pause and say “THANK YOU!”  As of the writing of this message, our 2 ballot propositions are fairing as follows:

• Capital Projects - PASSING with a 55.68%
• Buses - PASSING 59.54%
  • As a reminder: Levies require a simple majority (50%) to pass.  Bonds require a supermajority (60%) to pass.

Greetings and good afternoon.

This UPDATE is intended to...

• Remind us about last year's words of importance.
• Build awareness of this year's.
• Provide a space for me to share what I'm thinking about.
• Generate thinking, conversation, awareness, and positive action.

Ephrata Families:

You may recall that the last bond vote approved funding to remodel Grant Elementary. Last week we opened bids from contractors hoping to approve the project. What we found is that at current pricing, we are unable to afford the project. Bids were submitted at nearly 40% more than what we have budgeted. At this time,  we cannot, in good conscience or as good stewards of taxpayer money, accept this project. Grant Elementary construction will be delayed. 

It's been a while since I have written a Community UPDATE. I want to get back into the habit of sending these out. This UPDATE is going to be dedicated to our upcoming ballot measures, and a bond/construction update.

This November, we are putting before you two levies for your approval. The funds needed for these levies do not add a new tax burden to ratepayers. In 2018, Ephrata Schools made a commitment to keep school bonds and levy taxes close to $4.70 per $1,000 of assessed value. Tax rates will remain at this threshold with the approval of these two measures.