The most important message that can be relayed from the Hockinson School District is a line from its website: “This is not a new tax, but a proposal to renew an expiring levy.”
Hockinson School Board President Kaitlin Stupka recently detailed the importance of a levy renewal. The difference between pass or fail could not be more impactful, she said. Stupka also doubled down on the fact that it is a renewal and not a new cost on taxpayers.
The Hockinson School District is asking voters to renew an expiring school programs and operations (SP&O) levy on the Feb. 10 ballot, which has gone out to voters by mail.
The levy is being asked at the same rate that voters approved in 2022 at $1.89 per $1,000 of assessed property value. With the same previously approved levy rate, and a refinanced bond, the estimated school tax cost in the Hockinson School District would land roughly $35 less per month for an $800,000 home when the levy would take effect in 2027 through 2030.
In 2026, the payment on the Hockinson Middle School Bond will decrease as the bonds were refinanced at a lower rate, saving Hockinson taxpayers $1.3 million in interest payments across the bonds’ remaining decade. In 2025, the bond cost $1.39 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Starting this year, the bond has dropped to $0.63.
Recently, Hockinson Schools voters turned down a bond proposal. Stupka explained the importance of being aware of the difference between bonds and levy renewals.
“Bonds are for building, levies are for learning, and the money from the levy is not in any way going to be used for anything that we were trying to get the bond passed for,” she said. “It is all about staff and student programs that the state doesn’t fully fund for us, so we have a lot of great things here that you don’t see much anymore in a lot of school districts.”
Stupka highlighted the arts, music and more as excelling in the Hockinson School District. If the levy were to be declined by voters, the school district would have to consider possible reductions or the elimination of art and music programs, advanced placement and elective classes, sports and other extracurricular activities, staff and more.
A total of 13% of the operating budget comes from the SP&O levy for Hockinson schools. Roughly one in seven district staff positions are funded by the levy.
Stupka said the safety and health of students is in the hands of voters. If the levy proposal were to fail, the idea of cutting nursing staff becomes real, she said. Remaining nursing staff would likely have to travel between school campuses, Stupka said.
“If something goes wrong and that nurse is at another school, that’s a giant risk, and we don’t want to have to be in that position,” she said.
If voters were to approve the levy proposal, the Hockinson School District would become eligible for a boost in funding for the state, which comes at a time where school districts are navigating funding unfunded mandates from state legislation.
“We are eligible for $2.2 million, and it’s a state local effort assistance fund, and that’s at no additional cost,” Stupka said.
At Hockinson High School and at the middle school, Stupka said that nearly 400 students participate in levy-supported activities outside of athletics, while levy-supported athletics add an additional 600 student participants.
“Those numbers are huge in a small district,” Stupka said. “And then we’ve got AP classes that are funded by levy dollars, and we have one in four of our high school students enrolled in a class that’s AP. Every single one of our elementary school students get to attend an art, or a music or a PE class every single day, and we really want to keep it that way. We think that having that involvement is really crucial for the students. It helps them form their identity, form friend groups, and really launch into what’s next after they leave the district. And so having those levy dollars in place to fund them, it’s like the foundation of how we make the kids successful and we really hope our community is able to see how that benefits them even if they don’t have kids in the schools.”
For more information on the Hockinson School District levy renewal proposal, visit hocksd.org/page/levy.
