Although neither man has children nor grandchildren in South Whidbey schools, Dick Guise and Ted Brookes have taken on the mission of getting the word out on the vital importance of the upcoming school levy.

They know they have a big challenge with February’s ballot measure, because the school district intends to ask voters for more money in May to cover the cost of combining the middle and high schools.

But that’s then; the levy is now.

“Both of us have a deep belief in the value of a good, solid education of the kind students get here,” Guise said. “People are having a tough time separating the two measures, but once they do understand, they are overwhelmingly positive.”

On Feb. 9, the South Whidbey School District will ask for replacement levies to repair and maintain buildings, to replace the roof on the elementary school and to fix roof leaks on the high school atrium area, as well as to continue to provide needed technology updates.

For the past several weeks, the two community volunteers have been visiting churches, service organizations, school staff, parents and local chambers of commerce in an effort to spread the word.

“As John Adams wrote, we are all responsible for the education of the whole people and, everywhere we go, we find support and understanding,” Guise said.

The district will ask voters to approve a three-year levy at a tax rate of $1.03 per $1,000 of assessed property value, a slight drop from the $1.06 tax rate that voters approved in 2008.

The replacement levy is broken into two parts.

The district is asking for 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, which will provide $700,000 for upgrades in technology and $250,000 to cover repairs to the leaky roofs in the two schools.

The second section of the levy request deals with continuing maintenance-and-operational expenses which are not fully funded by the state, including salaries, food service, utilities and transportation.

In the first year, that amount is 83 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, or $3.9 million — the same as in 2009. In the second and third years, the district will need roughly the same amounts to cover operations costs.

School board member Rich Parker said the levy represents the contribution by South Enders to preserve a quality education.

“The bottom line is that the levy is essential, and we will continue to use the funding provided in a responsible fashion,” he said.

Board member Fred O’Neal said the district is close to the state’s replacement cycle for computers for teachers and has implemented needed infrastructure — such as file servers — but is still weak in work stations for students.

O’Neal explained that the next step is to provide projectors, smart screens and document cameras in the classes. “And fully 30 percent of the money is needed for training.”

Board chairwoman Leigh Anderson said that computers and technology are an integral component of most jobs, and South Whidbey students need to know how to use technology intelligently.

“A failure of the capital levy would deal a major setback to our goal of educating kids to be successful in the 21st century,” she said.

If approved, the levy will cost the owner of a $300,000 home roughly $309 per year.

A simple majority of 51 percent is needed for passage.

Anderson said failure of the second part of the levy would result in substantial cuts to programs and services, which would include teachers and staff.

“Last year, due to state budget cuts and declining enrollment, we had to cut approximately 11 percent from our budget, and that was painful enough,” she said. “Imagine cutting almost twice that amount. An M&O levy failure would be a devastating blow to our school district.”

Brookes noted that the levy would enable the schools to maintain their basic programs, now that state funding for kindergarten through 12th-grade education has eroded.

“The M&O levy represents roughly 20 percent of the school district’s total budget,” he said. “The levy in February is an important milestone for the schools and our students.”

Guise added that, of the 50 states, Washington spends about $8,300 per student, 39th highest in the nation.

“The school district is facing a perfect storm of declining enrollment, deteriorating facilities and a budget shortfall of $1.85 million dollars,” Guise said. “The latter problem is primarily due to the state Legislature drastically reducing education funding in the current budget.”

For more information, visit www.sw.wednet.edu/sw.