Year after year, school districts go to voters to request funding for capital improvements, and year after year, many are rejected. It’s difficult to persuade 60% of voters to increase their own taxes, especially when other costs are going up.
A bipartisan remedy is now before the Legislature that would ask voters statewide this fall to lower the current 60% voter approval threshold to 55%.
Ideally, the threshold should be 50% plus one, but this compromise, House Joint Resolution 4207, deserves the support of state lawmakers.
The Kent School District’s $495-million bond request was rejected last April when 48% of the voters said “yes.” Unfortunately, 52% said “no.” The bond would have helped improve school buildings, athletic fields and make upgrades to safety, accessibility and technology.
Even under the proposed change, the Kent bond would have died. That’s why the resolution alone isn’t enough. School districts and their supporters must do a better job in campaigning for school improvements, which is essentially campaigning for our children.
The Wahkiakum School District is another district that can’t get local support for improvements. It is in one of the poorest counties in the state and hasn’t passed a school bond measure in more than 20 years. One thing the district needs is a new heating system. It now uses space heaters in at least one classroom. The district sued the state in 2021, claiming the state violated the Washington constitution by failing to provide students with safe and modern school buildings. The state Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.
Ideally, the state should pay more of the costs for capital improvements. But in Washington, funding for education leans heavily on local taxpayers. Districts with wealthier residents can afford to pay for new roofs, heating systems and technology upgrades. Districts with higher percentages of low-income residents cannot.
For example, an $80 million, 20-year bond in the Wahkiakum School District would cost property owners $5.81 for every $1,000 in assessed value. In 2020, Bellevue approved a record $675 million bond to renovate and replace some schools and upgrade security that will cost $2.46 for every $1,000.
Wahkiakum isn’t alone. There are dozens of districts that can’t pass bond measures. State schools chief Chris Reykdal, acknowledging the difficulty for districts unable to generate enough bond levy support, is asking for $174 million to help small districts pay for modernizing their schools.
“Voters are voting with their pocketbooks,” Wahkiakum Superintendent Brent Freeman told The Seattle Times editorial board.
“The key variable is that there are a lot of school districts that can’t afford the astronomical rates. Our fight is a kid in Wahkiakum shouldn’t be penalized just because they were born in Wahkiakum,” Freeman said.
Even if the threshold drops to 55%, school districts must do their part. They must become more frugal with the funds they do have, which would send a message to voters that schools are good stewards of their tax dollars. Should HJR 1407 pass, districts should educate voters this fall as to the need to approve the ballot measure.
Public education is supposed to be the great equalizer in society. State lawmakers must find a workable and equitable way to fund school improvements and renovations. Until then, lowering the threshold for approval of such bonds sends a message to voters that the needs are indeed great and legitimate, and it lets students know that their local communities care about their academic success.
