Vote yes on school levies

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education."

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

SEATTLE voters should say "yes" to two school-levy requests on their Feb. 9 special-election ballot. The need is more urgent than ever.

The Washington Constitution requires the state to fund basic education, but the Legislature's definition of basic amounts to giving districts about 80 percent of what they truly need. The rest must come from citizens.

The two money measures from Seattle Public Schools are worthy of approval. One would finance a $270 million building-maintenance effort that would run the gamut from roof replacements and seismic upgrades to improvements in the technology that helps students learn. Taxpayers would pay an average of 30 cents for every $1,000 of assessed value for six years, starting in 2011.

The second levy would pay for the basics left out of state funding, including full-day kindergarten, textbooks and classroom supplies, transportation and security. This is a three-year levy that would increase property tax rates from $1.06 to $1.11 per $1,000 of assessed valuation next year.

Voters antsy about taxes should not be confused. The levies are not new taxes, but a renewal of expiring ones.

Support for the district's operations levy is a no-brainer. The money represents one-quarter of schools' annual budgets. Losing one dollar out of four would do irreparable harm.

There is no question the district also needs the money included in its capital levy. While some kids in Seattle attend school in attractive, new buildings, many others attempt to learn in aging buildings beset with leaky roofs, bad air and poor water quality.

But the School Board must provide greater accountability and transparency of the district's capital dollars. Taxpayers deserve to know not just the projects planned but the schools designated and expected dates of work and completion. A place, perhaps a Web site, ought to be provided as a resource for citizens looking to follow levy projects.

Moreover, Seattle Public Schools has a $500 million backlog in basic maintenance; a sizable logjam that begs the question of how the district should balance long-term needs with desperate and immediate needs. One positive step comes from a state law change allowing some use of capital levy dollars for maintenance basics such as painting.

More communication with the public ought to accompany voter support for the levies.

A regional need

Ultimately, students and communities benefit from an unwavering public support for our schools. In this vein, we similarly support school levies in more than a dozen communities around Puget Sound, including in Bellevue, Issaquah, Federal Way, Kent, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, Riverview, Shoreline, Tahoma, Snoqualmie Valley and Tukwila. All replace expiring levies and assure continued educational programming.

In each of these districts, teachers, students and parents can draw a direct line between strong levy support and strong, livable communities. While these levies have always provided a critical foundation for schools, in light of state budget challenges they represent a lifeline.

Levies now need only a simple majority to pass, a much easier bar to clear. But an all-mail election offers its own set of unique challenges. School districts need strong voter participation at levy time.

Voters ought to fill in their ballots as soon as they get them.

Monday is the annual holiday created to honor the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is a good time to reflect upon the Nobel Peace Prize winner and slain civil-rights leader's unwavering commitment to education and its role in creating an equal and just society.