Oroville School District
2026 Replacement Educational Programs & Operations Levy Fact Sheet
What is this levy?
This is a replacement levy. It replaces the current Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) levy that expires at the end of 2026. The levy continues local funding that helps the district operate schools and maintain programs that are not fully funded by the State of Washington.
How does a two-year levy timeline work?
A school levy follows the calendar year, not the school year.
- The levy runs January 1 through December 31
- A two-year levy covers two calendar years (for example, January 2027–December 2028)
- Levy collections begin in January following voter approval
- Levy funds support school operations throughout each calendar year, including two different school years
Why this can be confusing:
Schools operate on a school-year calendar (September–June), but property taxes are collected on a calendar-year basis. This means a single levy supports parts of three school years.
Example:
A levy approved in February 2026 begins collections in January 2027 and runs through December 2028.
Those collections help fund:
- The second half of the 2026–27 school year
- All of the 2027–28 school year
- The first half of the 2028–29 school year
This is why the levy is commonly described as supporting schools through the 2028–29 school year, even though the levy itself is based on calendar years.
When is the election?
- Election Date: February 10, 2026
- Ballots mailed: Around January 23, 2026
Why does Oroville School District need a levy?
Washington State does not fully fund the actual cost of operating schools. Local levies help close that gap so the district can:
- Maintain educational programs
- Operate and maintain school facilities
- Support student safety, health, and learning needs
Levy funds are locally controlled, spent in open public meetings, and used to maintain current operations—not to add unnecessary programs.
What does the levy support?
Levy funds stay local and support the following:
Instruction & Curriculum
- Substitute costs—teachers, paraeducators, custodians, and secretaries
- Additional special education supports and services beyond state funding
- Curriculum, classroom supplies, STEAM, art, music, and greenhouse programs
Career & College Readiness
- College-credit classes
- Career exploration, job shadows, internships, and apprenticeships
- Career fairs and K–12 field trips
Operations & Facilities
- Custodial, maintenance, and grounds services
- Building maintenance including flooring, painting, plumbing, and irrigation
Health, Safety & Security
- School nurse services
- Health supplies
- Security cameras, controlled entry, and emergency communication systems
Technology
- K-12 line for internet
- Technology staffing
- Student and staff devices
- Software, repairs, and infrastructure upgrades
Extracurricular & Enrichment
- Middle and high school athletics (coaches, officials, transportation, equipment)
- Band, choir, clubs, and advisors
- Camps and enrichment activities
Is this a replacement levy?
Yes.
Is this levy a new tax or levy?
No.
This proposal:
- Replaces the expiring EP&O levy
- Does not add a bond
- Does not add a capital levy
- Does not add a transportation levy
- Does not add a technology levy
It continues Oroville’s approach of relying on one locally controlled levy rather than multiple overlapping taxes.
How assessed value, levy rates, and Oroville’s levy structure work together:
School levies are approved by voters as a maximum total dollar amount, not a fixed tax rate. Each year, the rate per $1,000 of assessed property value is calculated based on:
- The total levy amount approved by voters, and
- The total assessed value of all property in the district for that year.
Because assessed value changes annually, the rate per $1,000 is variable.
- When assessed value goes up, the rate per $1,000 goes down
- When assessed value goes down, the rate per $1,000 goes up
In all cases, a district cannot collect more than the voter-approved total amount, even if property values increase.
Is this levy higher than the prior levy?
Yes, the total amount proposed is higher than the prior levy, reflecting increased operating costs.
- The prior levy collected $1,565,030
- The proposed levy would collectup to $1,882,577 per year
Why is the proposed collection amount higher?
The proposed levy reflects ongoing, unavoidable cost increases, including:
- State-required changes to athletic and activity costs (including referee and contractual requirements)
- Increased substitute staffing needs due to Paid Family & Medical Leave
- Added maintenance capacity and higher custodial and maintenance supply costs
- Rising insurance costs for buildings, contents, and liability
- Higher utility costs
- Increasing special education costs not fully covered by the state
- Increased curriculum and classroom supply needs
These cost pressures are documented and ongoing and are required to maintain existing operations.
Why this matters in Oroville:
Many school districts fund operations and facilities through multiple levies and bonds, such as:
- Capital levies
- Technology levies
- Transportation levies
- Bonds
Oroville School District does not.
Oroville is only running a General Fund EP&O levy.
This means:
- A single levy must supportday-to-day operations, student programs, staffing gaps, maintenance, safety, and technology needs
- There are no separate taxes for buildings, technology, transportation, or debt repayment
- The district has intentionally chosen a simpler, more conservative levy structure
How has the district demonstrated fiscal responsibility?
- Long-term planning for major facility repairs (including roofs)
- Securing major grants, including the Elementary School Modernization Grant and an additional future Modernization Grant that will also generate match money
- Proper use and long-term thinking use of COVID money, put into long-term facility improvements as opposed to soft consumable uses
- Fair, yet fiscally responsible compensation/salaries
- Supplement food service program to provide free meals to all students beyond what the state and feds reimburse
- Regular audits and transparent public budgeting
- A consistent history of asking voters for needs, not excess
Is property tax assistance available?
Yes. Low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and others may qualify for property tax relief or deferral.
Contact the Okanogan County Auditor’s Office at 509-422-7240.
Bottom Line
This replacement levy continues Oroville’s tradition of local control, fiscal responsibility, and strong community support for students. It maintains current educational programs and operations in the face of rising, unavoidable costs—without adding new levies or bonds.