Seattle council urges school levy support ahead of February special elections
Jan 19, 2022, 5:36 AM
Lincoln High School’s football head coach Aaron Hart resigned from the job last Friday after three years, claiming player safety concerns as the primary reason. (Photo courtesy of Lincoln High School)
(Photo courtesy of Lincoln High School)
This week, ballots will begin to arrive for the King County special elections on Feb. 8.
For Seattle voters, the elections include two levy renewals for Seattle Public Schools: Proposition 1 and Proposition 2.
Both allocate dollars for education programs, infrastructure and maintenance of SPS. Investments include renovation of Memorial Stadium, staff funding, and maintenance of systems that mitigate the spread of COVID, such as HVAC.
COVID cases in Seattle schools skyrocket, as cancellations, remote learning shifts mount
Prop. 1, Replacement for Educational Programs and Operations Levy, generates $648.8 million in tax revenue for the three-year period between 2023 and 2025.
Prop. 2, Replacement of the Buildings, Technology and Academics/Athletics Capital Levy, sources $783 million in funds for the six years between 2023 and 2028.
The funds are generated through property taxes: $0.75 on every $1,000 of assessed value for Prop. 1, and an average of $0.42 on every $1,000 for Prop. 2.
On Tuesday, Seattle City Council passed a resolution in support of the tax levies, urging King County voters to vote in the special elections and pass the propositions.
“These levies contain a significant amount of support for the families and young people of the city,” Councilmember Andrew Lewis said in a council session Jan. 18.
“These are critical improvements to modernize things that we have come to rely on in the COVID era, including HVAC systems, as well as critical safety components like fire alarms. … The state of Washington is insufficient, programmatically, for the needs of our school district,” he continued. “… [These levies] provide critical support for staff that are absolutely essential to the education experience and for the care of young people during the school day like nurses, custodians, and other critical support staff.”
Councilmember Sara Nelson acknowledged the tax burden that the levies place on those within the SPS district, but affirmed their value to Seattle’s students.
“It’s unfortunate that in this era, post McCleary, that Seattle residents are still being asked to kick in to pay for at least 15% of Seattle Public Schools general fund,” Nelson continued. “But this is extremely important. Without it, our kids would be worse off.”
Proposition 1’s tax levy to maintain educational funding through 2022 last passed in King County by a nearly 70% to 30% margin in 2019.
A complete list of the ballot measures under the special elections in King County can be found here.
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