By Dee Camp
Chronicle staff

     OMAK - School district voters will decide Feb. 9 on a maintenance and operations levy request for collection in 2011 and 2012.
     The district is seeking $1,488,093 per year. A simple majority is needed in the all-mail election.
     District officials estimate the levy rate would be $2.39 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The owner of property valued at $100,000 would pay $239.
     The levy would provide funds for instructional materials, textbooks, student transportation, special education services, school counselors, sports programs, music, staff training, technology maintenance, professional development, library staffing, health services, additional teachers to reduce class size, English language learner programs, building and sports field maintenance, snow removal, extracurricular activities and other programs.
     Under current state law, passage of the measure would generate an additional $1.14 million in state levy equalization money. The levy equalization program is among the programs targeted for possible cuts or elimination by the state because of a project revenue shortfall.
     "This community has a legacy of supporting education through the good and bad times," Citizens for Omak Schools Chairman Greg Grillo said. "More than ever, our kids need us to show our support and invest in them, which is an investment in our community."
     He said 15 percent of the district's financial support comes from the local levy.
     "Those dollars mean more than ever with recent funding cuts leading to the leanest budget in years," he said. "From textbooks to transportation, music programs to building maintenance, these dollars work hard for our kids."