With less than 25 ballots left to count on Feb. 21, the renewal of the educational programs and operations levy for the Oak Harbor School District is poised to pass.

Under the current tally, “yes” votes are ahead by about 62.47% of the vote. According to the last count on Thursday, a total of 9,247 ballots were counted, which represents 36.25% of registered voters in the district.

With a simple majority, the proposition authorizes the district to levy property taxes for four years upon all taxable property within the district at the estimated rate of $2.28 — the same that was estimated in 2021, when 55% of voters approved the current, expiring levy.

However, voters approve a set amount to levy — not a rate — starting with $16.99 million collected in 2026, $17.68 million in 2027, $18.387 million in 2028 and $19.122 million in 2029, according to information provided in the district’s levy renewal webpage.

The levy supports programs and operations that the state does not fund as they are not part of what is considered “basic education.” That includes special education, paraeducators, academic and mental health counselors, electives and advanced placement courses, athletics, arts, school nurses, security enhancements, classroom technology and smaller class sizes.

In a statement sent to the community Wednesday night, Superintendent Michelle Kuss-Cybula thanked the organizations and people who voted and spread the word about the importance of the levy. According to Communications Officer Sarah Foy, district officials will provide further comment once the results are validated.

According to a News-Times story published in 2007, the school district proposed 20 levies between 1968 and 2005, and only four passed — a math levy in 1992, a pair of levies in 2001 and a renewal levy in 2005. It was then approved in 2013, 2017 and 2021.