How this levy will benefit our students, teachers, and community
We believe the Lakewood City School District is vital to the long-term strength and vibrancy of our community. We are a dense, tightly-woven city with immense pride in our schools where more than 4,000 students (who collectively speak 29 different languages!) go to learn each day. That is why supporting Issue 2 is so important, so that the District can continue to provide a high-quality education to each of these kids now and in the future. We hope you feel like we do and you vote for Issue 2 and Lakewood City Schools in May.
The May levy will appear as Issue 2, a 6.9 mill operating levy on the ballot, but the actual, effective tax impact will be lower - about 4.9 mills. That’s because the District has taken a number of prudent financial actions, such as refinancing and advance refunding various debts over the past six years. This effectively eliminates 2 mills of debt service taxpayers are currently paying, lowering the effective tax impact.
What it translates to is roughly $14 per month for every $100,000 of assessed home value, beginning in 2026, with collection beginning in 2027. This levy ensures local funding will continue to support students, and their families, for years to come, raising about $12.3 million per year.
Alongside funding from other sources, those taxes support:
Keep Lakewood Schools Strong is the volunteer-led committee backing Issue 2, the Lakewood City Schools May 5th levy. They are responsible for promoting the levy and encouraging Lakewood voters to get out to the polls and support Lakewood’s 4,000+ students. The committee operates the nonprofit Citizens for Lakewood’s Children in support of the levy.