Early returns showed voters were not inclined to increase their property taxes to pay for improved technology for White River School District students. It was a different story in the neighboring Dieringer School District, where voters approved a traditional maintenance and operation levy.

The all-by-mail levies concluded Tuesday.

For White River, results posted Wednesday morning by the Pierce County Elections Department showed 1,371 votes in favor of the levy (43.1 percent) and 1,810 opposed (56.9 percent).

The White River levy would have collected money in 2009 through 2012, garnering about $612,500 in each of those years. Each property owner in the district would have been impacted to the tune of an additional 22 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

According to the ballot title, the levy authorized additional tax collections “to be used for the acquisition of technology and related equipment, including, but not limited to infrastructure, security and training relating to installation and integration.”

The Dieringer School District maintenance and operations levy was passing by a 58-42 percent margin, with 734 “yes” votes and 532 “no” votes.

The anticipated Dieringer levy rates will be $2.02 and $2.05 per $1,000 of assessed value and will collect about $4 million.

The levy replaces an expiring maintenance and operations levy.

School levies no longer require a super majority or 60 percent approval. The voters in the Nov. 6, 2007 general election approved a Constitutional amendment allowing school levies to pass with a simple majority.