Join Lyle School District Superintendent Ann Varkados for a brief presentation and question/answer session about the continuation levy the district has placed before the voters on the February 9 ballot.
You can join from the comfort and safety of home by Zoom. All you need is a device and the Internet. Instructions follow below.
Topic: Community Information Session: Lyle Schools Levy
Time: Jan 21, 2021 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Click on the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88575052742
Meeting ID: 885 7505 2742
Or call in by dialing 1 253 215 8782 US and enter the following meeting ID: 885 7505 2742
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/khH5CXMLJ
Local Levy Dollars Are Essential to Our Students' Educational Success.
>>>>>>More information is available on the levy webpage.
UPDATE: We noticed a mistake on our flyer mailed to homes. In the first paragraph under "Is This a New Tax?", we mention the tax rate being "per $100,000 value of their property." That is incorrect. Levy rates are always based on the value of the property in $1,000 increments. We apologize for this error. The examples provided of costs based on home values are correct. See the correction on the flyer.
On Tuesday, February 9, voters will be asked to vote on Lyle School District’s measure to continue local enrichment levy support for district operations.
This is a replacement enrichment levy, not a new tax. If voters approve the measure, the district will collect no more than $700,000 in 2022 and again in 2023. This is the same amount approved by voters in 2019 for 2020 and 2021. At that time, the district promised that collections would not exceed $700,000 each year, and likely would be less. Currently, it’s estimated the district will collect slightly over $632,000 in the current year.
If the replacement levy is approved this February, property owners will pay an estimated $1.64 per $1,000 value in 2022 and $1.59 in 2023.
Historically, the district’s property owners have paid a significantly higher tax rate. For example, in the 2015-2016 school year, property owners in the district paid $3.50 per thousand.
The tax rate remains at an historic low.
Based on projected property valuations, property owners will pay approximately $1.64 per $100,000 value of their property in 2022 and $1.59 in 2023. In the past decade, the district's property owners have paid a significantly higher tax rate. The projected tax rates are less than half what property owners paid in 2014 and 2015.
What will the proposed levy cost the average property owner?
- Taxes collected in 2022 on property valued at $325,000 at an estimated total tax rate of $1.64 will equal $44.41 per month, or $10.25 a week.
- In 2023, when the tax rate will be $1.50 per thousand, property valued at $350,000 will generate a tax bill of $46.38 a month or $11.60 a week for the owner.
Want to calculate what the levy will cost you?
Go to this page for instructions on calculating for your costs.
Note that the actual tax rate may be slightly different, depending on property valuations and additional changes to the state's school funding laws, but by law, the district's total local tax collection cannot be more than $700,000 community-wide for each of the two years, and is likely to be less.
What do levy dollars pay for?
- Local levy funds are used to pay the salaries and benefits of learning support staff, the para-educators who provide invaluable support for our students and teachers in the classroom.
- The levy pays the bus driver costs over and above daily to and from school runs, like those for extracurricular sports and other after-school activities.
- It pays the salaries and benefits of a part-time school nurse, a school counselor, a part-time tech support staff person, office support staff, nutrition services and maintenance staff, all of whom contribute to helping our students succeed and keeping our school running smoothly.
- Levy dollars are used to pay for technology costs state funding doesn’t cover, student breakfast and lunch costs, and utility costs not covered by the state.
- It provides essential local support for programs that motivate many of our students to stay in school and work hard, like athletics and career and technical education (previously called vocational education).
More information is available on the levy webpage. Questions? Don’t hesitate to call the district office at 509-365-2191.
Friday, December 4, is an early release day to provide teachers time to upload grades for the end of the trimester. The schedule follows:
Everyone, we know this may be a tough holiday season for a lot of families, including many who are impacted by the pandemic. If you are among them, don't hesitate to fill out the form below. Make sure your family has a celebratory meal on the table for Christmas and gifts under the tree. Download, print and complete the form by clicking on the link below.
Downloadable form.
If you are unable to print it, contact julie.larson@lyleschools.org or 509-365-2211, ext. 126, and she will get a paper copy to you. Please return the completed form to Julie by December 5.
Can you help with gifts for families in need this holiday season?
Visit Mugs Coffee in Bingen, just across from the Post Office, and pick an ornament off of their Christmas tree. These have information about the children in the family and a code. Those with an "L" indicate it is a family from Lyle. Use the information on the ornament to shop for the family, then return to Mugs with the gifts wrapped and marked with the code.
Gifts and holiday meal preparations will be handed off to families (discreetly) on the last day of school before the holidays. Please have presents wrapped and back to Mugs by Wednesday, December 17.
We are unabashed Mugs fans! They are marvelous community partners, partnering with us year after year to help our students have a few special things for the holidays. Please consider purchasing a coffee or other beverage and a treat while you're there!
Parents, we've had an individual at Lyle School test positive for COVID-19. Our team is working closely with the Klickitat County Health Department to identify anyone who might have had close contact with this individual.
Anyone identified as a close contact will receive another notification, in addition to this letter, with information on required actions and support resources. If you do not receive an additional notification, then your child was not identified as a close contact and their risk of infection is low.
Our plans for instruction next week are to continue with the hybrid in-person/remote learning schedule. If this changes, we will let families know as soon as possible. Should you choose to keep your child home, let us know and we will have them switched to fully remote for the week. You can call the office at 509.365.2211 or email support@lyleschools.org
Due to federal law, we cannot provide any identifying information for this individual. Please do not ask our staff. If you or your child are identified as having close contact, the health department will contact you. Please read the parent letter below.
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Nos estamos comunicando con usted para informarle que un individuo en Lyle School ha dado positivo a COVID-19.
Nuestro equipo está trabajando en estrecha colaboración con el Departamento de Salud de Klickitat County para identificar a cualquier persona que pueda haber tenido contacto cercano con las personas que dieron positivo a la prueba de COVID-19.
Cualquier persona identificada como “un contacto cercano” recibirá otra notificación, además de esta carta, con información sobre las medidas necesarias y los recursos de apoyo. Si no recibe una notificación adicional, su hijo no fue identificado como “un contacto cercano” y su riesgo de infección es bajo.
Nuestros planes para la instrucción la próxima semana son continuar con el horario híbrido de aprendizaje en persona / remoto. Si esto cambia, se lo haremos saber a las familias lo antes posible. Si decide mantener a su hijo en casa, avísenos y lo cambiaremos a completamente remoto durante la semana. Puede llamar a la oficina al 509.365.2211 o enviar un correo electrónico a support@lyleschools.org.
Debido a la ley federal, no podemos proporcionar ninguna información de identificación de esta persona. Por favor, no pregunte a nuestro personal. Si se identifica que usted o su hijo tienen un contacto cercano, el departamento de salud se comunicará con usted. Lea la carta para los padres a continuación.
Today is Election Day.
Haven't turned in your ballot yet? We suggest you put it in one of the county's ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. tonight, November 3. In Dallesport, that's in the Community Center parking lot. In Lyle, it's in the Lions Club parking lot. In Bingen, it's the City Hall parking lot.
There's a full list of other locations in the county (and you can use any of them), a county elections guide, and other helpful information on Klickitat County's elections page.
In Washington state, the long-standing rule has been your ballot will be counted if it's postmarked today, but recently, the USPS recommended mailing a week early. If you are taking it to the post office, you may want to walk it to the counter to make sure the 11.3.20 postmark is on it.
If you've already voted and want to check on the status of your ballot, go to VoteWA.gov. Check the Secretary of State's webpage at sos.wa.gov/elections/ for more fascinating elections resources, state voters' guide and more.
Parents Can Complete Registration Forms and Update Information Online
Lyle School District has just switched over to a completely online registration system, giving parents access to all of the forms they have filled out on paper in the past. This move will save staff time and allow parents to ensure their children's information is input accurately. Called "Family Access," this new feature is part of Skyward, the same program currently used by parents to access students' grades, absences information and other ongoing student data. The system provides more security; only people who need and are authorized to see this information have access. Parents can update contact information there as well to ensure they get timely communications from the school.
There's no doubt that coming back to school or enrolling in a new school requires a lot of paperwork. And there's nothing worse than filling all of those forms out, then misplacing them or having them go missing when you send them to school with your child. Now, instead, parents can do this all online, as they have time, and go back to confirm that the information is right.
See the attached PDF for directions in how to use Family Access and the Online Registration and Information Update features.
In addition to the Contact and Health Updates, the school is required to collect the following forms/information. Many of these impact services that families can receive outside of the school setting, like EBT cards for food benefits or assistance in obtaining housing.
- Verify Military Status
- Verify Ethnicity/Race. The state has added several additional race categories. Feel free to change it if you feel your race is better identified than as previously reported
- Housing Questionnaire
- Media Release-We are required to inform you of your right to allow or disallow certain information to be published or released outside of the school
- Home Language Survey
- Food Service Application. Please review this application. There are certain programs that use this application for benefits such as: Pandemic EBT, ASB Waivers, Running Start Fee Waivers, and others. IF you do not qualify, please mark the form accordingly
- Income Verification. This is VERY IMPORTANT. To meet our Community Eligibility for FREE meals for our students, we must get an Income Survey from families. All information is kept strictly confidential and is only released to the Authorized Food Service Administrators for the District. Please help us keep all of our kids fed without charge.
Need help? Have questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at support@lyleschools.org or at 509.365.2211.
Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences are taking place during the week of October 19.
Teachers are reaching out to parents to schedule them. If you haven't heard from your child's teacher by Friday, October 16, please call the school at 509-365-2211, extension 120.
Times are available:
- Wednesday, October 21, noon - 3 p.m.
- Thursday, October 22, noon - 7 p.m.
The school will have early release at noon on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, October 23.