The Eugene School District 4J local option levy is a property tax that provides money for school operations in 4J schools and charter schools.

The levy currently provides about $25 million per year, 10 percent of the school district’s operating budget. This is equivalent to about 205 teaching positions or 32 school days.

This is not a new tax or a tax increase. The 4J local option levy has been in place since 2000, approved by voters five times. The current levy expires in 2025. If passed, Measure 20-357 would renew the levy at the same tax rate for five years, through June 2030.

Local option levies pay for school operations: staff, class sizes, programs, utilities and other daily operating costs. By law, bond funds can be spent only on capital improvements such as buildings, buses and technology.

Under Oregon property tax law, a local option levy is the only tool a school district has to allow the community to increase funding for local school operations.

If Measure 20-357 is approved, property owners would continue to pay about the same amount as they do now. Renewing the levy would continue the current property tax rate for the 4J local option levy.

Due to Oregon’s property tax limits, owners of each property pay a different amount, depending on the difference between the assessed value and the real market value. The maximum rate for the local option levy is $1.50 per $1,000 assessed value. Most taxpayers pay less than the full rate. The owner of a home assessed at $250,000 would pay $31.25 per month or $375 per year.

To see how much you currently pay, check your property tax statement (look up your property by name or address, go to the property record, then click “View Current Tax Statement” at left), and look under “Current Tax By District” for “Eugene School District Local Option.” Changes in your property’s real market value or assessed value may affect the amount of your taxes.

The local option levy has allowed 4J schools to maintain a level of educational opportunities that would not be possible if state funding levels were the district’s sole source of revenue. 100% of levy proceeds stay in the Eugene School District to fund public school operations. The district provides a portion of levy revenues to public charter schools.

If renewed, the levy would continue school funding equivalent to about 205 teachers or 32 school days each year. It would help maintain class sizes and school programs supported by the current levy.

If Measure 20-357 is not approved by voters, the school board could decide to submit another levy renewal proposal to voters in the fall, while preparing a plan to reduce staffing and operations by about 10 percent if that measure failed. The school board would hold public hearings before deciding how to reduce the budget.

If the levy were not renewed before the current levy’s expiration in June 2025, the local option levy property tax rate would not be assessed, and the school district’s annual operating budget would be reduced by about $25 million starting in the 2025–26 school year.