School boards for LWSD and ISD approve funding measures for November vote
Both the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) and Issaquah School District (ISD) will be placing funding measures on the November 5 ballot for voters to decide on.
Each district’s school board approved their measure during meetings in late May and early June. LWSD is asking voters to approve a building levy, while ISD is seeking approval for a construction bond.
Bonds and levies are both property tax increases passed by local voters to fund school construction, maintenance or operations. School levies in Washington state require a simple 50% majority to pass, while bonds require 60% or more.
LWSD’s Building Excellence Construction Levy is aimed at replacing and modernizing some of the district’s aging schools. The LWSD school board unanimously passed the resolution to place this levy on the ballot during their June 3 meeting.
In Feb. 2022, voters in LWSD approved a levy to fund phase 1 of a Building Excellence Plan, a program to modernize the district’s aging schools. Voters will now decide whether to fund a phase 2. LWSD plans to use new levy funds to rebuild Alcott Elementary, Samantha Smith Elementary, Kamiakin Middle School and Evergreen Middle School, and remodel the Juanita High School fieldhouse and pool.
Kamiakin Middle School was built in 1974. At the LWSD board meeting, Juanita High School senior Elizabeth Orswell spoke to the board about problems at Kamiakin Middle School while she attended there, including gas leaks, falling ceiling tiles and broken air conditioners.
LWSD board President, Leah Choi, said she looks “forward to finally being able to make a difference in the daily lives of students that attend these schools” before voting for the resolution.
According to LWSD’s Building Excellence Plan, the new construction will help the district with its sustainability focus. The new construction will include electric vehicle charging stations and rooftop solar panels. LWSD Superintendent John Holmen indicates LWSD is “committed to ensuring our facilities reflect our dedication to future generations, while also being fiscally responsible for our community today.”
The LWSD levy will increase property taxes from $2.52 to $2.90 per $1,000 of assessed property value (AV). That means a home valued at $1 million will pay $380 of extra property taxes per year. The proposed LWSD levy will raise nearly $677 million over 6 years. The Issaquah School District (ISD) board passed its measure on May 23 for a bond to finance the construction of a new high school. The bond is expected to raise $642.3 million.
Beyond the building of a new high school, the ISD bond will finance remodeling of career and technical education space at Liberty High School, Issaquah High School and Skyline High School. In addition, ISD plans to expand Liberty High School by 20,000 square feet with the bond. Bond proceeds will also fund an early learner center and upgrade the fire systems districtwide.
The ISD bond will raise just over $650 million up front, starting in 2025. If passed, property taxes will increase from $3.13 to $3.43 per $1,000 of assessed value. That is equivalent to $300 of extra property taxes for a home that is valued at $1 million. According to ISD Superintendent Heather Tow-Yick, the new ISD bond will ensure that ISD “can continue to have great buildings that are energy efficient, that are safe and secure…and that are conducive [to] and facilitate career preparation at all levels.”
