By Pamela Brice
For the Herald
EDMONDS — The Edmonds School Board wants voters to reconsider approving a construction bond and a technology levy at a special election in February 2003.
The board approved the date at a recent meeting
In February, voters passed a four-year $121.8 million replacement school program and operations levy with 62 percent approval. But voters failed to pass a $110 million capital construction bond and a four-year $24 million technology levy.
Although both measures received more than 50 percent voter approval, each failed to reach the 60 percent supermajority required by state law for school levies and bonds.
The construction bond received 54.25 percent approval, while the technology levy received 57.38 percent approval.
The school district now wants voters to reconsider a capital bond and a technology levy in February. The two measures could have been brought before voters in November, but district officials said it may not be a good idea to run school measures along side a transportation tax package that will appear on that ballot.
"With all the budget-cutting tax rhetoric, we were concerned and didn’t want to be on the ballot with the gas tax," superintendent Wayne Robertson said.
Citizens for Schools, a volunteer group supporting levies in the Edmonds School District, conducted and paid for a survey to gather information on why the two measures failed.
"The information we’ve gotten from that survey says it was because of a tax increase" the two measures would have brought, Robertson said.
He said this issue will be taken into consideration as the board looks at deciding the amounts and length of time for each.
The owner of a $200,000 home now pays about $928 annually in school taxes. If the technology levy and construction bond had passed, those taxes would have risen to about $1,144, a $216 increase.
The technology levy would go toward equalizing technology access throughout the district, and the construction bond is needed to rebuild Lynnwood and Scriber Lake high schools, the last two high schools in the district that haven’t been remodeled in the past decade, district officials said.
Pamela Brice is a staff writer for the Enterprise weekly newspapers. You can call her at 425-673-6522 or send e-mail to brice@heraldnet.com.
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