Arlington, Lakewood school levies leading

Initial returns show Arlington schools' levy passing by a strong margin, while the Lakewood schools' two levies are leading more narrowly.

Initial returns show Arlington schools’ levy passing by a strong margin, while the Lakewood schools’ two levies are leading more narrowly.

As of Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 8:01 p.m., Arlington’s expiring educational programs and operations levy looks likely to be renewed for nearly $57 million, with 3,249 votes and almost 60 percent.

Superintendent Kris McDuffy praised the community and the citizens levy committee.

“We are so fortunate to live in a community that cares deeply and puts children first,” said McDuffy, who thanked committee co-chairs Dave Duskin and John and Kimberly Meno. “They were organized, inspirational and great leaders, and the volunteers were amazing with their suggestions and follow-through in getting things done.”

Lakewood’s educational programs and operations levy will cost nearly $27 million to renew, with 1,211 votes and almost 53 percent in favor.

Andrea Wyatt-Detrick, chairwoman of Lakewood’s citizens levy committee, expressed “cautious optimism” over the initial vote tally, but warned that a failure to pass the levy would be catastrophic, since it would force a 24 percent budget cut in the next fiscal year.

“And those cuts would be across the board, not from any one department, but from all of them,” Wyatt-Detrick said. “It would impact our materials, staff and day-to-day operations. Since we’re a smaller school district anyway, it would be that much harder for us to absorb such cuts.”

Lakewood’s nearly $2.9 million capital projects and technology levy is ahead by a similar margin, with 1,215 votes and just over 53 percent.

“Our grass-roots efforts started with having a fantastic presence on Facebook,” Wyatt-Detrick said. “With every like, comment and share, more people knew what the stakes were.”

She also credited volunteers with targeting known concentrations of likely voters, then going out to distribute an estimated 250 informational pamphlets to their addresses.