TRI-CITIES, Wash. – Early results from the special elections in the Tri-Cities area are showing support for local levies.
Voters in the Kennewick School District are getting behind two replacement levies aimed at enhancing student support and safety.
The Educational Programs and Operations Levy, which is passing with 54.44% of the vote, is designed to fund daily operations such as student support, extracurricular activities and staffing.
The Safety, Security and Information Technology Levy, passing with 55.11% of the vote, focuses on safety upgrades, cybersecurity measures and instructional technology. This includes updated classroom devices and network improvements.
In Richland, the school district’s Educational Programs & Operations levy; which aims to support staffing, athletics before and after-school programs, student support services and more; is currently passing with 53% of votes in favor. The district’s Capital Projects Technology levy; which aims to fund digital curriculum, Chromebooks, classroom technology and cybersecurity; is also passing, with 54% of voters voting yes.
In Pasco, a property tax increase aimed at funding library services and freeing up millions of dollars for the city has a 61% approval rate, with 39% voting against it.
These tallies are preliminary, and more results are expected to be released on Wednesday.
