Legislation to lower school bond approval threshold stalls on eve of important elections
Feb 10, 2025, 3:03 PM
The Washington State Legislative Building on the Washington State Capitol Campus in Olympia, Washington. (Photo: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest)
(Photo: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest)
With six school bonds set for a public vote on Tuesday, efforts to reduce the voter approval requirement for school district bonds in Washington have stalled, casting doubt on their future.
Legislative stagnation
Senate Bill 5186, introduced to lower the supermajority threshold for school bond approvals from 60% to 55%, received its initial public hearing on January 16, 2025. Despite overwhelming support from school districts statewide, the bill has not progressed to a committee vote.
Notably, Senator Lisa Wellman (D-Mercer Island), chair of the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee, has yet to schedule further action on the bill — an indication the legislation may be stalled indefinitely.
Implications for upcoming bond measures
This legislative impasse comes as six school districts across Washington prepare to present bond measures to voters on February 11, 2025.
These districts aim to secure funding for the construction of new schools and the renovation of existing facilities. Under the current constitutional mandate, these measures require a 60% supermajority to pass — a formidable hurdle that has historically prevented many districts from obtaining necessary funding.
For instance, the Lake Stevens School District is rerunning its $314 million bond proposal to address growth, replace aging facilities and enhance safety measures. Despite maintaining the same project scope and bond amount, the district has adjusted its proposal to offer a lower tax impact for property owners, thanks to reduced interest rates and a growing taxpayer base.
Similarly, the Issaquah School District is presenting a $231.6 million bond measure — a 63% reduction from its previous proposal in November — aimed at addressing the district’s most immediate needs.
“At the end of the day, this is about giving local control to communities to decide whether they want to build schools,” says bill co-sponsor Senator Adrian Cortes (D-Battle Ground).
He added, “This is not about raising property taxes, as some would have you believe. This is about local control.”
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Lack of needed school upgrades
During the public hearing, Orting Middle School Principal Kevin Collins told the committee that district voters had rejected six bond measures in the last nine years.
“Five of these six, however, received a majority of support. Three of the six would have passed with the 55% threshold. And this past November, we saw 59% voter support, and we were just 100 votes shy of passing,” he said.
“We are overcrowded. We have 250 students at one of our elementary schools using one set of bathrooms. We have paraeducators and specialists in closets,” he added.
Lack of confidence in school spending
Opponents of lowering the approval threshold argue that maintaining a higher standard ensures broader community consensus before incurring long-term debt obligations.
“The only reason we vote no is because we are so frustrated with our educational system — the fact that less than half of our kids can read and write,” Loretta Byrns, a concerned parent who opposes the bill, said.
“We’re frustrated with our legislature driving up the cost of making new buildings, of designing buildings. That’s why we say no, and that’s why I’m against reducing the requirement from 60 to 50 or 55%,” she added.
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Requires constitutional amendment
Senate Bill 5186 would require an amendment to the Washington State Constitution to take effect. The current 60% supermajority requirement for school bond approvals is enshrined in the state constitution.
For the bill to become law, two key steps are required: A proposed constitutional amendment must be approved by two-thirds of both chambers of the Washington State Legislature, and the amendment must then be placed on the ballot for a statewide general election, where it must receive a simple majority (50%+1) of voter approval.
Without these steps, the bill cannot take effect, even if passed by the Legislature. The bill itself explicitly states that it is contingent on voter approval of a constitutional amendment.
Matt Markovich often covers the state legislature and public policy for KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Matt’s stories here. Follow him on X, or email him here.
