In the past 10 years, Cayuse Prairie School’s enrollment has crept up from 240 students to more than 300. That growth comes against the backdrop of growing costs to maintain and compete for qualified teaching staff, keep manageable class sizes and continue day-to-day operations with more students in the building.
The district has saved money — around $30,000 annually — by moving to a four-day school week, starting last school year. Students have begun to pay activity fees for athletics to offset the high costs that programming comes with. COVID-era funds from the federal government and several grants have helped the district maintain its programming.
But as those grants sunset, costs continue to rise and the school continues to grow, the district says it needs assured funding to maintain its programming and operations at the current level.
Amy Piazzola, who has served as Cayuse Prairie’s superintendent for more than a decade, said the district has long debated pitching a bond to taxpayers to add more space to accommodate the growing student population. But after board conversations and input from members of the public, the district has instead opted to pursue a school levy in 2026.
Piazzola said the district hopes to finalize details for the levy in January, and for the school board to vote in February to put it on the ballot in the spring.
“Right now, we are fortunate, at least in the Cayuse district,” Piazzola said. “People who are paying taxes here — our bond has gone off, and there’s been some other things that have decreased the taxes for our residents. And so, we’re hoping that this levy won’t be an added burden, but it will be equitable to what they have been paying in the past.”
For now, the district is working to gather input from community members regarding how much they’re willing to pay for a levy. It’s considering several options that would bring in anywhere between $150,000 to $400,000 annually.
On the lower end of the spectrum, the levy would pay only to maintain district operations, serving as a “Band-aid,” Piazzola said. If voters approved a levy on the higher end, the district would be able to save money for an expansion without going to taxpayers for a bond. The money from a levy, if approved, would go into the district’s general fund.
“It’s not like we’re trying to add anything additional to what we’re doing,” Piazzola said. “We do have a great system of testing our kids, seeing where they’re at, continuing to monitor their growth and you know, our ultimate goal is every student is growing to whatever their potential could be.”
Cayuse Prairie plans to host several discussions about the levy as it prepares to pitch it to taxpayers and gain support for it in the coming months.
On Jan. 22, Cayuse Prairie will host a discussion aimed at deciding what levy amount is best for the school community. That discussion will happen at the school at 6 p.m.
Beginning in February, the school will host a series of discussions providing levy details and an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions. Those dates, times and locations are as follows:
Feb. 3, 2026, at 4 p.m. in the Cayuse Prairie Library
March 11, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Cayuse Prairie School
April 9, 2026, at noon in the Cayuse Lunchroom
April 17, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at Cayuse Prairie School
“The things I do love about Cayuse Prairie is when people do come together, and I think that they really are in support of education,” Piazzola said.
And there you have it. Happy Wednesday folks. I’m Mariah Thomas, and I’ve got the rest of your Daily Roundup.
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