The Monitor humbly acknowledges that the graph we previously published purporting to represent the School District levy referendum increase was incorrect. It depicted a much steeper rise in the levy than it should have. This mistake was entirely the fault of Publisher John Ramos, and not the author of the column, Loren Martell. Mr. Ramos misinterpreted the data, and was unable to consult with Mr. Martell beforehand, as Mr. Martell was attending the funeral of a close relative.
The crux of our mistake is that we added a certain amount to the levy each year for each referendum question, whereas the amount should only have been added to the levy at the beginning of the ten-year period; the levy amount will not be increasing for the remainder of the ten-year period (except for inflationary increases).
We thank reader Jon Loss for alerting us to this mistake, and here present his comment in full:
The chart misreads the ballot. Question 1 raises $8.3 million per year in years 2 through 10. It does not add $8.3 million to the levy every year. The chart treats it as a new increase each year, which is how it climbs from $52 million to $127 million by 2036. The same error is applied to Question 2, which is why the dotted line ends exactly $34 million higher. Your own text says “$8.3 million per year” and “$78.1 million over ten years.” The chart contradicts the paragraph under it.
Under the ballot language, with inflation and no debt relief at all, the levy tops out around $63 million in 2036. The Red Plan certificates of participation finish paying off after 2028 and the bonds after 2033, which is why the district timed the step-up where it did. The chart shows none of that.
The history from $8 million to $48 million is a fair point. The projection is not.
Each of the two levy questions on the ballot passed with more than 60 percent of the vote.
This mistake is deeply embarrassing and, again, it is entirely the fault of the Monitor‘s publisher.
For that, we apologize.
