Clarkston levy appears to be passing

The Clarkston School District capital levy appears to be on its way to passing, with 52.9% of voters casting yes ballots.

Results posted Tuesday evening show 1,996 yes votes to 1,776 no votes. Ballots had to be postmarked by Tuesday, so more votes will be added in the days to come. Results will be certified May 3. Voter turnout was at 31%.

The levy will collect funds for infrastructure, safety and health improvements for the district. The levy rate will be $1 per $1,000 of assessed value. The levy will run from 2025-27. The amount collected in 2025 will be $1,866,434, the amount collected in 2026 will be $1,959,756 and the amount collected in 2027 will be $2,057,743.

“This is great news for us and for the community,” District Superintendent Thaynan Knowlton said. “We want to maintain our facilities and we sincerely appreciate the support we were given and the trust the community has in us to get these projects completed in a timely manner. And a big thank you.”

Knowlton said Clarkston School District is excited to invest in the capital projects discussed for the last several months with the Clarkston School Board and with the district’s facilities advisory committee.

Some of those projects were outlined in information provided by the school district for the election on what the levy would cover, including a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for Heights Elementary, which is an estimated $3,800,000 cost; repairs to the roof at Clarkston High, an estimated $500,000; and other projects such as carpeting, concrete and asphalt.

Funds for the capital levy won’t start being collected until 2025, which will give the school board time to plan.

“Now the task is to work with the board and to determine what to do first and second and third,” Knowlton said.

Knowlton said that depending on which projects are taken up — the board could decide to do multiple projects at once. But one of the priority projects is a new HVAC system at Heights, a school the facilities advisory committee toured last week.

While the HVAC will cost an estimated $3.8 million, the first year of the levy will collect only $1.8 million, which means it’ll take a couple years to be funded through the levy.

The district’s facilities advisory committee will continue to evaluate and help to prioritize projects in the district. Knowlton said he appreciated the work the committee has been doing, as well as others in the community, to address the needs in the district.

Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.