Lake Washington Sends 3 School Levies To February Ballots

REDMOND, WA — Families living within the Lake Washington School District will see three levies on their special election ballots in February after each was approved by the board at a meeting earlier this month.

Two of the ballot measures are levy renewals, which help support for school district's budget and ongoing infrastructure needs. The third levy is designed to fund expansion efforts as the district looks to add capacity to keep up with enrollment. Serving more than 30,000 students across 57 schools, the Lake Washington School District is already Washington's second-largest. It's also the fast-growing school district in King County.

"Our students deserve educational programs, services and environments that match the excellence we are working towards for each student," said Jon Holmen, LWSD Superintendent. "Our community has an opportunity to set the stage for future generations, continuing to make the Lake Washington community a great place to live, raise a family and educate children."

Here is how LWSD summarizes its three levies:

• Replacement of the existing Educational Programs & Operations Levy
  • This levy accounts for 14% of the district’s operating budget. School districts are required to renew EP&O levies every four years. EP&O levies ensure our students have continued access to staff, programs and course offerings to be successful and graduate future-ready. The levy provides support for social/emotional learning and mental health counselors, health and safety, professional learning, additional course offerings, special education programs, English language programs, Highly Capable programs, transportation, athletics and activities and more. The EP&O levy fills the gap between what the state funds for basic education and what our students and schools need.
• Replacement of the existing Capital Projects Levy
  • The four-year Capital Projects Levy replaces the expiring Capital Projects Levy which was approved by LWSD voters in 2018. This levy funds facility and technology needs not funded by the state, helping ensure our students have technology and healthy school buildings for learning. This levy funds facility needs such as: heating/ventilation systems; roofing replacement; athletic and playfield improvements; portables; and safety measures. It also funds technology needs such as infrastructure; network security; staff and student computers; instructional software; security cameras; communication and business systems; and staff training.
• Building Excellence Capital Levy
  • To continue meeting the needs of our growing district, this levy will help us add classroom space to our schools. The Facility Advisory Committee provided recommendations for future facility projects to accommodate our rapid enrollment growth and continue to provide learning environments that promote excellence for students. The board considered these recommendations, received information and feedback from the Levy Advisory Committee and considered multiple options for addressing short and long-term capacity needs in seven study sessions between January and September 2021. This levy would fund the first step of three funding measures to provide required student space by 2034. This Levy funds critical capacity needs required by 2024:
    • Elementary: Redmond area
    • Middle: Juanita, Kirkland and Redmond areas
    • High: Kirkland, Redmond and Eastlake areas

Special election ballots will be mailed in late January and will be due back by 8 p.m. on Feb. 8, 2022.

Learn more about each of the upcoming ballot measures on the school district's website.