Two School Levies Head To February Ballots In Renton

RENTON, WA — Renton is one of several school districts across King County where voters will choose whether to renew expiring school levies during a February special election.

King County Elections will begin mailing ballots on Wednesday, and registered voters should receive them no later than next Monday. Special election ballots are due back Feb. 8 by 8 p.m. Residents who still need to register or update their information may do so online through Jan. 31 or in-person up until the polls close.

Renton voters will choose whether to renew two key funding sources for the Renton School District for another four years.

District officials said renewing the two previously-approved levies will have little effect on property tax bills, which have trended downward by more than 30 percent since 2016. If approved, property owners are projected to pay roughly $3.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, up just four cents from the existing levies.

The Educational Programs and Operations Replacement levy provides about 14 percent of the district's overall budget and supports several academic, athletic, arts, music and other extracurricular programs, officials said. The Capital/Technology Replacement levy helps cover costs for renovations, modernization and other improvement projects and pays for things like laptops, software and other classroom technology needs.

"We rely on these local, voter-approved replacement levies to bridge the gap between what the state funds and what our students need in classrooms," said Randy Matheson, a spokesperson for the district. "It's a $40 million gap each year."

Residents can return their ballots via mail or place them in one of several drop boxes, which will open on Thursday.

Voters can learn more about the two levy renewals by watching the video below: