The estimated tax rate is $0.22 per $1,000 of assessed value. The owner of a $500,000 home would pay about $110 per year or less than 5 cents per student.

No. This levy will collect $3.8 million over four years for technology and facilities improvements. Property taxes may fluctuate, but the district only collects the total amount approved by voters. 

Property values may rise or fall, but according to state law, schools collect no more than the total dollar amount voters approve. When property values rise, rates go down. Conversely, if property values fall, rates rise to ensure property taxpayers only contribute the amount approved by voters.

Lakewood School District has two levies that fund important programs and people not funded by the state:

• Educational Programs and Operations Levy (2022-2024): The EP&O levy fills the gap between state basic education funding and the current educational program, including school psychologists, paraeducators, nurses, extracurricular activities and athletics. This levy was approved by voters in April 2021. While this is normally a four-year levy, the measure failed twice in 2020 before it was approved as a three-year levy in April 2021. Collections on the levy begin in 2022.
• Technology and Facilities Improvements Levy (2021-2022): This levy funds critical technology and facility needs not funded by the state. This four-year levy would collect funds from 2023-2026. It replaces a similar levy that expires in 2022, continuing funding for technology and facility needs for four more years.

We have received federal funds to help offset the costs of things like PPE, technology resources, staffing needs and HVAC upgrades, some additional technology purchases (beyond what is funded under the current Technology Levy) to fund immediate needs created by the pandemic and to support student well-being and academic recovery following remote learning. Recovery needs funded by federal dollars include additional assessment resources, staff professional development, recovery services for students that fall outside what is funded by the state or by local levies. This funding cannot supplant, or replace, the need to fund operations expenses that are not related directly to the pandemic. Using ESSER funds, we have largely been able to protect local tax dollars during the pandemic.

The charts below outline our budget for ESSER II and ESSER III funds:

Lakewood voters last approved a bond in 2014 to finance the construction of Lakewood High School which opened in 2017. New construction was less costly than modernizing or expanding the previous structure. New construction was also faster and caused far less disruption to student learning than modernization and expansion of the old school. In addition, given the age of Lakewood High, construction of the new school was also eligible for more state construction assistance funds, further maximizing local tax dollars for the high school and other projects. State construction assistance, known as state match, are typically provided at a time that is close to or after completion of a project.

With the savings and state assistance that came with building a new Lakewood High School, about $12 million was carried forward to fund other projects. The board publicly deliberated on these priorities during the summer of 2019. The additional projects that the board approved and initiated since that time are construction of the STEM lab at Lakewood Middle School (complete), replacing the Cougar Creek Elementary School roof (complete), and expanding the Transportation building to include the Facilities Department (expected completion spring 2022). The board also identified construction of a central administration building as a priority. The district has applied for a conditional use permit to explore the feasibility of the project using remaining state funds. The permitting process is expected to take about 12 months, after which time the board will decide whether to move forward with additional planning.

A renewal levy is a local tax that replaces a levy that is expiring. Levies expire after a defined length of time.

Voters approved a two-year technology levy in August 2020, funding technology for 2021 and 2022. The levy expires at the end of this year. To continue this funding, Lakewood school leaders are asking voters to replace the expiring levy on April 26.

No. Lakewood schools do not receive any sales tax revenue. The majority of Lakewood's school funding comes from the state (79%), local voter-approved levies (16%), federal (3%) and other sources (2%).

In general, levies provide for learning, maintenance and operations and bonds go to construct buildings, purchase property or modernize existing facilities. State law prohibits monies approved for construction to be used for learning programs and staff.