Pasco School District board narrows levy planning to mid‑range option, asks staff for detailed impacts

Pasco School District directors on Tuesday reviewed three proposed EP&O (enrichment, programs and operations) levy scenarios and by consensus directed staff to prepare more detailed fiscal and program‑level analyses for the midrange option (Option B) and a variant between B and C (referred to by the board as “B‑2”).

The request came during a study session in which Dr. Castilleja, presenting district levy planning, told the board, “This is a conversation around the replacement EP and O levy. We are heading into our last year of the current levy. The current levy will collect through 2026.” The presentation outlined three four‑year scenarios (all buildable as 1–4 year asks) and used a conservative 6% annual assessed‑value growth assumption for projections.

Why it matters: The district’s local levy pays for many services the state does not fully fund, including extracurricular programs, enhanced transportation, technology refresh, safety staffing and supplemental teaching positions. Board members repeatedly emphasized protecting classroom and student services while also balancing voter acceptability of a tax increase.

Board discussion and context

Dr. Castilleja told the board the district faces a different context than in the last levy cycle: a multiyear slowdown in assessed‑value growth (the presentation cited prior years of 17.8%,…