Deer Park seeks school levy

The Daily Inter Lake

Deer Park School is offering voters in the district an explanation of this year's school levy request during a community meeting.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, the public is invited to listen to a presentation from Principal Kim Anderson and follow with questions fielded by Anderson and the school board members.

The meeting will be in the school's math/art rooms in the Quonset building.

For the first time since 1999, the school is asking for an operation levy.

The $32,000 request will cover curriculum materials for reading and math. The reading series will cover kindergarten through fifth grade. If negotiations with the publisher work to the school's favor, the math series will cover kindergarten through eighth grade; otherwise, it would be used only through fifth grade.

Currently, teachers and students are using a reading series published in 1991 and a math series published in 1998.

Anderson said they do not align well with state standards and do not integrate the varied areas of learning encompassed in the two broad curriculum areas.

Proposed new materials will address both those deficiencies.

Impact of the $32,000 levy would be $56.92 per year on a home valued at $100,000. It would be $113.83 on a $200,000 home.

In trustee elections, the school board can elect the sole two candidates by acclamation this year.

Two positions are open - those now held by Ron Wilhelm and Sondra Howland. Only two candidates filed nomination papers - Julianne McCracken and Norm Merz.

McCracken and Merz will be seated on the board following the May 3 school elections.