Bethel School District cancels job fair as failed levies impact ability to make job offers
The Bethel School District has canceled its annual job fair scheduled for Feb. 26 after voters failed to approve two replacement levies in the Feb. 8 special election.
The levies would have drawn in millions of dollars to put towards the district’s programs and operations, including staff, and technology improvements.
“The double levy failure critically impacts our ability to make job offers for the 2022-23 school year,” said district spokesperson Doug Boyles in an email.
The district was looking to hire teachers, support staff, paraeducators, bus drivers, child nutrition staff, among others.
Replacement levies require a simple majority, or 50 percent of voters plus one, to pass. Bethel’s Prop. 1 levy for programs and operations failed with 43.93 percent of voters voting yes. Prop. 1 would have collected about $172.3 million over four years (2023-26).
Prop. 2, funding technology improvements, failed at 46.81 percent of voters voting yes. Prop. 2 would have collected about $24.4 million over four years (2023-26).
Bethel Superintendent Tom Seigel told The News Tribune earlier this month that the plan is to run the levies back out to voters in the April special election.
