Voters to rule on levies, bonds in 20 school districts Tuesday

More than $3.4 billion in school-district levies and bonds will be decided Tuesday as voters head to the polls or drop their absentee ballots in the mail.

In all, 20 school districts in King and Snohomish counties — including Northshore, which straddles the King-Snohomish county line — are asking voters to approve levies and bonds to help fund their general operating budgets, build or renovate schools, improve technology and replace aging buses.

The need for levies to help districts cover basic costs has grown in recent years as the state Legislature hasn't fully funded education, said Dan Steele of the Washington State School Directors' Association.

Tuesday's elections


School levies and bond measures are on the ballot in 20 school districts in King and Snohomish counties.

Your polling place is on your voter-registration card. King County and Snohomish County polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"It's forced local districts to fill in the gaps however they can, so levies are much more important to them," Steele said. "It's not covering 'extras' in a lot of districts, it's bread-and-butter issues."

Construction is a common theme among many districts, which are looking to modernize or rebuild aging schools or construct new ones to keep up with increasing enrollment. Districts seeking bonds for construction and capital-improvement projects include Kent, Federal Way, Northshore, Lake Washington, Issaquah, Edmonds, Everett, Mukilteo and Marysville. Issaquah and Edmonds voters have rejected construction bonds in recent years — twice in 1998 for Issaquah, and twice in 2003 for Edmonds.

Some districts also are focusing on technology, requesting money for such improvements as interactive white boards and document cameras in classrooms, upgraded computers and networks, and staff training. Districts seeking funds for technology include Kent, Shoreline, Bellevue, Snoqualmie, Issaquah, Northshore, Lake Washington, Riverview and Tahoma.

The Bellevue School District has seen organized opposition to its technology and maintenance-and-operations levies. A group called the League of Washington Taxpayers, headed by Bellevue resident Wynn Cannon, is opposing the levies, particularly the district's $51 million, five-year technology levy. Cannon said his group believes the district is putting too heavy an emphasis on technology and that students should focus on learning the basics. Teachers and district officials say they want to make sure students have access to technology that will help move them forward in their education.

In Snohomish County, lingering resentment over the record-length Marysville teacher strike in 2003 has fueled a citizens group opposing a four-year, $72 million programs-and-operations levy. About 25 percent of the levy monies would go to teacher salaries.

King County school districts with three or more measures are concerned some voters may be unaware the ballots are two-sided and neglect to turn them over to vote for some measures. Districts with one or two measures have a one-sided ballot. All districts in Snohomish County have one-sided ballots.

Inadvertently missing votes are a concern for districts because school levies must be approved by a supermajority — at least 60 percent of those who cast ballots must vote yes. Also, at least 40 percent of a district's voters who voted in the last general election must vote in this election for it to be valid.

In the Lake Washington district, the measure on the back of the ballot is a modernization bond to rebuild or renovate 11 schools and construct one new elementary school. The district has historically seen its bonds pass by smaller margins than its levies, so even a small number of voters forgetting to vote on the bond could have a big impact, said Kathryn Reith, spokeswoman for the district.

"We have done what we can to alert people to the fact that one measure is on the back of the ballot," Reith said. "But I'm sure there will be some folks who won't get the message or who will forget and will miss that item."

Staff reporter Lynn Thompson contributed to this report. Rachel Tuinstra: 206-515-5637