By The Herald Editorial Board
Nearly all of Snohomish County’s 15 school districts are going to the voters for approval of ballot measures in the Feb. 10 special election.
Most are seeking educational program and operation levies, with a few seeking capital levies, both of which require a simple majority to pass; three — Everett, Mukilteo and Northshore — are seeking approval of general obligation bonds for significant capital construction projects, for which a higher bar — a 60 percent supermajority — is required for passage.
That higher bar forces a careful consideration that weighs need against a judgment of likely voter support.
For Everett Public Schools, which is seeking approval of a levy and a bond in the election, consideration of that balance for the bond was left to a capital bond planning committee of about 30 community members and district staff, who started with a list of about $1 billion in facility needs, paring that down to a request for a total bond package of $396.8 million.
The district knows its needs for its more than 20,700 students in Everett and Mill Creek, but it’s the members of the public who directed what was requested, said Larry Fleckenstein, chief operating officer for the school district.
“It’s not the district saying it; it’s our community telling us what is most important to them from their perspective, and our school board agreed in it,” he said in a recent interview with other district staff.
During a five-month process, the bond committee examined proposals and pared down the bond request and was unanimous in accepting the final package of projects.
“The intention was to keep it at a size that allowed us to get the work done quickly but also meet those essential needs,” he said.
Proposition 1 on the Everett district ballot seeks approval of a 20-year bond.
What’s in the bond request addresses significant needs, said Superintendent Ian Saltzman.
Saltzman, who joined the district in 2019, praised district voters’ past support for levies, capital levies and bonds and says district maintenance staff has successfully limited the wear and tear on school facilities, but new investments are needed to replace aging facilities and upgrade the learning environment for students.
The district’s last successful bond in 2016 built a new school, renovated others and made improvements throughout the district. This bond echoes that formula and would address major needs. Among those Saltzman pointed to:
• Lowell Elementary, which would be replaced if the bond is approved, was built in 1951 and was last remodeled 35 years ago.
• Meanwhile, enrollment growth in the district’s south end requires a new elementary school, which would be the district’s 19th.
• Throughout the district, Saltzman said, the district relies on portable classrooms, which — with a wink — he dubs “learning cottages.” The district’s 103 existing portables would equal classroom space for two and a half schools. A dozen new classroom additions, replacing the “cottages,” are planned for several of the district’s elementary schools. A new Lowell Elementary will mean the elimination of seven portable classrooms.
• Cascade High School, the superintendent said, is long overdue for renovations and new construction. Work would replace its library and cafeteria and performing arts building and provide space for a STEM and Career and Technical Education center. Renovations also are planned for Everett High’s vocational building and its auditorium.
• And nearly all schools and facilities throughout the district would see a combination of upgrades to safety and security systems, athletic fields and playgrounds and required upgrades to roofs, heating and ventilation, environmental health and technology.
The work at Cascade High, which last saw renovation work in the 1990s, is a good example of those essential needs, Fleckenstein said, in particular the STEM and CTE center, which will offer a central location for the district’s high school students, not only for the school’s auto shop program but also the district’s advanced manufacturing program and its CTE choice program.
“We need to be able to support creating access for our youth into these programs, so we are contributing our students directly to workforce or apprenticeship programs after high school,” he said.
All investments, from new playgrounds to new schools to mundane things like roofing and HVAC systems, are meant to meet the community’s educational needs, said Peter Scott, the district’s deputy superintendent, in particular to provide students with the education and skills they need.
“This is about matching and modernizing facilities to meet the demand in the community, so that kids can actually choose to stay, contribute and afford to live where they grew up,” Scott said.
Proposition 2, just as vital as the bond request, is a four-year renewal of the current educational program and operations levy, and would provide about 15 percent of the district’s budget, allowing the support of additional counselors, classroom assistants, custodians and health room staff that the state does not provide in its funding.
It also provides additional support to STEM, highly capable, advanced placement, arts, music, drama and athletics programs. As well, there’s funding for the district’s special education students, beyond what the state provides. It also funds basics such as classroom materials, supplies, technology equipment and support for maintenance and utilities.
In making the requests for the bond and levy, the district is mindful regarding the impact on the district’s property taxpayers, working to keep a consistent and reasonable level of taxes, said Andi Tress, the district’s executive director for business services.
For the current year, taxpayers in the district pay a combined millage rate of $3.65 per $1,000 of assessed value. Passage of the bond and levy would raise that to an estimated $3.95 per $1,000. For a home valued at $600,000, the district’s annual tax would increase by about $180 to $2,370 a year. That rate compares to a high of $5.88 in 2017 and a low of $3.27 in 2022.
“The intent was to try to minimize as much as we can the overall cost to our community while looking long term and planning a stable tax rate,” Tress said. “We didn’t get all of our facility needs, but we did get the most critical and most urgent.”
A final factor for voters’ determination will be what the district has done with the community’s past investments and what the outcomes have been for students.
A visit to particular schools can show both the need and how the district has employed past investments. A final bond and levy informational session is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m., Jan. 28 at the Heatherwood Middle School cafeteria, 1419 Trillium Blvd., in Mill Creek, adjacent to Jackson High.
A review of the district’s student performance, such as that available in annual report cards from the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, also is informative. The district has built a four-year graduation rate of 96.3 percent, among the highest in the state. And test scores for foundational grade level knowledge for English language arts, math and science are well above statewide averages for the 2024-25 school year.
The Herald Editorial Board has routinely asked voters to support levies and bonds in their school districts. That taxpayer support is not negligible, especially with affordability on many minds. But it is foundational to the support of strong communities and prepared, healthy and knowledgeable children and young adults and an investment that has and will pay dividends.
Everett School District voters should vote yes on both propositions without hesitation.
Election information
Most school districts in Snohomish County are seeking voter approval for ballot measures for replacement operations levies, capital levies and/or bonds.
Ballots have been mailed to registered voters and should be received soon.
For list and links to specific voters’ guides for special elections in your community go to tinyurl.com/SnoCoFeb10ElexGuides.
Levies require simple majority approval by a district’s voters. Bonds require a 60 percent majority for approval.
Voters should note that, because of changes to U.S. Postal Service policy, ballots returned by mail should either be hand-canceled by post office staff when dropped off or mailed well in advance of the special election’s Feb. 10 deadline to be assured that the ballot will be counted.
Ballots also can be returned to Snohomish County Elections drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Feb. 10. A list and map of ballot drop box locations is available at tinyurl.com/SnoCoElexDropBoxes.
For more information on elections and registering to vote go to tinyurl.com/SnoCoElex2026.
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