I-88: well-intentioned but misguided fix

Seattleites support public education and tend to grant levy and bond requests, but this time voters ought to read Initiative 88's fine print and reject the schools tax.

The Seattle School District is drowning in red ink, yet I-88 would raise $40 million in property taxes each year for six years and not a single dime would go toward tackling this problem. The money would be used to hire new teachers and launch new programs. Who could be against smaller class sizes and new arts and music programs? In this case, this page is, because it is irresponsible to create new needs and costs when the district cannot pay for current ones.

I-88 is a temporary solution when a long-term one is needed. The levy will run out in six years, with the prospect of forcing the district to terminate the new teachers and programs.

We understand the connection between quality schools and a livable community. Seattle is the only city in the nation with a $117-million Families and Education Levy that pays for learning supports, including health clinics and nurses, and before- and after-school programs.

I-88 blurs Seattle's role. It requires the city to collect property taxes with no clear plan of accountability. Would City Hall or the district be accountable to the public for this extra spending? If it is the former, the district becomes, de facto, the fourth-largest department in city government.

The school system has a deficit expected to mushroom to $50 million in five years. The first step toward resolving this is implementation of the recommendations by Superintendent Raj Manhas' blue-ribbon committee. These include school closures and moving students by Metro to save money on yellow buses, things in the works but at a snail's pace.

Manhas and the School Board must move more quickly to clean up the district's financial mess before turning to taxpayers.

A better target for proponents of I-88 is the state Legislature. Washington state's constitution calls for the state to bear primary duty for education funding. A huge opportunity lies in Gov. Christine Gregoire's group of education panels, Washington Learns.

A long-awaited plan for improving school quality and funding is out and public hearings begin this week.

Seattle is one of the most-educated and wealthiest cities in the nation.

There is no reason we cannot have successful schools with arts education and all-day kindergarten. But I-88 is a poor vehicle to get us there.

Citizens should vote no and demand a smarter, better-funded plan from the Legislature.