Two cents.

That’s the amount Spokane Public Schools stresses when publicizing increased costs to taxpayers for a November school ballot.

The district is asking voters to grant the agency authority to issue $200 million in bonds for improvements that would need to be paid off over 20 years. A mailer recently sent out to voters claimed the bond on ballots this November would only “add 2 cents to the existing bond bill for property owners.”

The accuracy of the 2 cents, however, depends on how you count your pennies.

Materials and an online calculator on the school district’s informational site about the bond show the more nuanced effect on tax bills, resulting in both increases and decreases.

The 2 cents in the recent mailer would be added to what is called a “mill rate” – the property

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