Three School Levies On Lake Washington Voters' February Ballots

REDMOND, WA — Voters living within Washington's second-largest school district will have three school levies to consider during the upcoming special election, including two replacement measures and a new levy to fund capital construction projects.

Ballots for the Feb. 8 election will be mailed to voters starting Jan. 19, and the deadline to register to vote or update information online arrives Jan. 31.

Here's what to know about the Lake Washington School District's 2022 levies:

Prop. 1

This measure would replace the expiring Educational Programs and Operations Levy (EP&O), which must be renewed every four years. According to the district, the levy funds 14 percent of its overall budget, pays for all athletic costs across the district and provides money for more than 70 percent of school nurses.

Prop. 2

The second levy would replace the expiring School Technology and Capital Projects levy, which fills funding gaps for technology and facilities not fully funded by state dollars, district officials said. That includes funding for things like laptops, tablets and other digital learning tools, along with upgrades for building systems and campus improvement projects.

Prop. 3

The new Building Excellence Construction Levy would fund the district's plans to expand capacity to keep up with soaring student enrollment. The district said 83 percent of its schools are projected to be over capacity by 2030, leaving thousands of students having to rely on portable units if more classroom space is not made available.

Levy funding would allow the district to build a new elementary school on the Redmond Elementry campus, with space for 550 students, and construct additions at middle schools in Finn Hill, Kirkland and Redmond, adding capacity for 600 students. The district also plans to expand high school capacity by 1,200 students and use levy funding to purchase more property for future schools.

The district is hosting a virtual town hall to answer families' questions on Friday, Jan. 14, beginning at 10 a.m. Residents can read more about each of the three levies and watch previous town halls on the district's website.