EVERETT — Everett Public Schools board members voted unanimously on Tuesday to add a bond measure and levy renewal to the February special election ballot, where voters will decide on the two measures separately.
The bond measure, totaling almost $400 million, would pay for a new elementary school in the southern part of the district, which includes the city of Everett, Mill Creek and parts of unincorporated Snohomish County. That school is expected to cost $97.7 million.
If approved, the bond would pay for other projects across the district, including a complete replacement of Lowell Elementary, 12 new permanent elementary classrooms and the replacement of a building at Cascade High School containing the cafeteria, library and the performing arts center. It would also pay for the modernization of the Everett High School vocational building and upgrades to Cascade’s career technical education program.
Other district-wide improvements would include roofing replacements, heating and cooling upgrades, safety upgrades, electrical work and two new synthetic track and fields at middle schools, among other projects.
Bond measures provide school districts with money for construction projects and building improvements. They’re paid off over time by property taxes and require a 60% supermajority to pass.
Voters didn’t approve Everett Public Schools’ two most recent attempts to pass a bond — in 2018 and 2020 — but did approve a $325 million capital levy in 2022 to pay for the replacement of two schools and new technology upgrades.
Voters last approved a capital bond for the district in 2016, which totaled $150 million. It paid to fully renovate a middle school, build a new elementary school and construct new athletic fields district-wide.
The latest bond projects were recommended to the superintendent by a planning committee made up of community members, students and district staff. Board president Traci Mitchell said that process may make voters more confident that the bond’s projects are needed.
“Reasonable people have brought us a reasonable package, and I really do appreciate that,” Mitchell said at the board meeting Tuesday.
The other measure on the February ballot would extend the current educational programs and operations levy at a higher rate, totaling $361 million through 2030. Those funds pay for expenses beyond basic education that aren’t funded by the state, including the district’s athletic programs, extra-curricular clubs, summer school and dual language programs, among others. The district gets about 15% of its funding from the local levy.
If both measures are approved, school district property taxes would increase from $3.64 per $1,000 in assessed value this year to $3.95 per $1,000 through at least 2035 — about an 8% hike, according to the district.
The educational levy would increase from the current rate of $1.85 per $1,000 to $2.14 per $1,000 in 2027. By 2030, the rate would increase to $2.31 per $1,000. The bond would add about $1 per $1,000 to property tax bills through at least 2035. Some of those increases would be offset by a lower levy rate from the district’s capital bond.
“Each day is another opportunity to help students feel safe, seen, and reach their academic potential,” District Superintendent Ian Saltzman wrote in a release Tuesday. “These measures allow us to continue providing safe, well-maintained schools and the tools students need to learn and grow.”
The district will host a number of events to share information and answer questions about the two ballot measures. They will be held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 6 and Jan. 20 at the Cascade High School cafeteria, at 6 p.m. on Jan. 21 at the Everett High School cafeteria and at 6 p.m. on Jan. 28 at the Heatherwood Middle School cafeteria.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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