School operations levy renewed with 70 percent of vote

The unofficial voter results from the Feb. 9 special election are in, and it’s good news for the Peninsula School District.

The Continuing Educational Programs & Operations (M&O) Levy was renewed in the election with 70.21 percent of voters in favor for the renewal.

The initial voting results also show that the levy was approved in each of the 43 precincts within the district.

Deborah Krishnadasan, school board member and chair of the Citizens for Peninsula Schools, and Jacquie Goodwill, co-chair of the Citizens for Peninsula Schools, spearheaded the information campaign surrounding the levy.

The focus of information campaign was to do just that: inform voters, Krishnadasan said.

The campaign focused on quelling rumors and misinformation surrounding the levy, provided facts and numbers about what the levy dollars where used for and stressed the importance of the levy renewal in the continued operation of the school district.

“We felt a strong community effort throughout the process,” Krishnadasan said.

The pair received a high level of volunteer support from the schools, with parents, teachers and staff giving their time to wave signs, make phone calls or help provide information about the levy to voters.

“I’m elated,” she said of the results. “It’s a feel good moment ... I dreamed of (approval numbers) that high.”

Other school board members mirrored Krishnadasan’s delight, with Leslie Harbaugh expressing the overall sentiment.

“(Krishnadasan and Goodwill) were our fearless leaders,” Harbaugh said. “They didn’t just help us maintain what we had, but they gave the community hope.”

To show thanks for their hard work and dedication, members presented both Krishnadasan and Goodwill with $100 gift cards to the MultiCare spa at the Feb. 11 school board meeting.

The gift cards, David Olson jokingly assured the assembled community members, were paid for by individual board members themselves and not the district.

According to the organization’s website, Citizens for Peninsula Schools is a grassroots and volunteer-based citizen campaign organization that is dedicated to passing levies and bonds for Peninsula School District.

This levy is a four-year replacement for the existing M&O levy that makes up 24 percent of the district’s total operating budget.

The official results of the Feb. 9 special election will be released on Friday (Feb. 19) and are available at www.results.vote.wa.gov/results/current/pierce.

This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 10:58 AM with the headline "School operations levy renewed with 70 percent of vote."