Voters in Snohomish County, Washington, approved $2.9 billion in educational measures during the Feb. 10 special election, greenlighting a swathe of capital projects across 12 school districts and one fire district.
The Everett School District (ESD) received full approval for its $396.8 million construction bond and $361 million four-year educational levy. The bond will allow the district to build a replacement elementary school and add 12 classrooms to existing facilities. Plans include renovating Cascade High School’s library, cafeteria and performing arts facilities, building a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) and STEM building and renovating Everett High School’s vocational building.
In addition, the district will improve and integrate its safety and security systems and replace aging roofs, HVAC systems and playgrounds. Additional work will include changing two middle school fields to synthetic turf. The approved levy will ensure the Everett School District can continue funding essential academic programs, sustain special education staffing and support, supplement mental health initiatives, cover daily operations and support positions not fully funded by state resources.
The Northshore School District approved two of its three measures – a $413 million operations levy and a $142 million technology levy. The operations levy will enable the district to fund extracurricular activities, support advanced course work, reduce classroom sizes, maintain critical staffing needs and support services and programs for special education, English learners, students experiencing homelessness and transportation.
The $142 million technology levy will ensure the district has the funding it needs to update and replace student, staff and school technology and continue paying for digital learning curriculum and software licenses. The district will also use the levy to modernize systems and infrastructure, support career and technical skills development, emerging technologies and maintain and update the communications and security systems.
The Edmonds School District approved its $361 million programs and operations levy, replacing an expiring levy to support staff, student opportunities and educational programs. Student opportunities include music, art, drama and extracurricular activities. Programs that will directly benefit from the levy include STEM, Advanced Placement, College in the High School, International Baccalaureate, Highly Capable and Multi-Language Learning.
The Mukilteo School District only received approval for its $265 million programs and operations levy, sustaining more than 300 teaching roles and support staff over the next four years. The funding will also help the school continue supporting athletics, arts and music, special education and safety and security initiatives.
Voters in the Snohomish School District greenlit two replacement levies – the $172 million operations levy and $57.4 million technology and safety levy. The first enables the district to hire school psychologists, paraeducators, substitutes and school resource officers. Additionally, the funds will support special education services, provide academic support and summer learning and continue supporting extracurricular programs including athletics, performing arts, clubs and more.
The technology and safety levy will predominantly focus on improving district facilities, including roofing, parking lots, playgrounds, athletic fields, heating and ventilation systems and security upgrades such as staffing, cameras and equipment. Plans include buying or classroom technology such as interactive panels, computers and devices.
Lake Stevens School District residents voted in support of two four-year levies – $107.7 million for educational programs and operations and $10 million for capital technology. The educational programs and operations levy will help hire educators, full-time nurses, mental health support specialists, security staff, enhance safety systems, sustain early learning programs and provide access to extracurricular activities. The capital technology levy will predominantly support efforts to provide updated technology for students, protect data, maintain cybersecurity, upgrade infrastructure and provide technical support.
Voters greenlit the Granite Falls School District’s two replacement levy, including a $26 million programs and operations levy and a $24 million capital and technology levy. The first will cover expenses related to extracurricular activities, support staff, smaller class sizes, 25% of transportation, food and nutrition services, curriculum, textbooks, utilities and insurance. The second will help maintain and replace technologies, servers and security systems and re-envision the Granite Falls High School library. Additional work will consist of patching roofs, siding, replacing boilers, buying maintenance equipment, upgrading athletic fields and improving HVAC systems.
The Sultan School District narrowly passed its $25.5 million operations levy and $14 million capital levy. Like with the other operations levies, the district will use the funds to support staff and classrooms, extracurricular programs, curriculum, instructional materials, utilities and operations. The capital levy will target safety and security, infrastructure, technology hardware and systems, software, licenses and training projects as well as continue paying off roof replacement expenses.
The Stanwood-Camano School District moved forward with a $19.2 million safety and infrastructure capital levy. The funds will help replace HVAC controls, flooring, roofs, carpets and repair parking lots. Additional work will cover portable ramp replacements, cameras, installation of intercom and speaker systems, resurfacing, window replacement, reconfigured CTE space, improved playgrounds and other enhancements.
The Index School District received approval to renew a $6 million programs and operations levy. The district will use the proceeds to support educational programs and operations, teaching, school supplies, technology, buildings and transportation.
Aside from the education-focused bonds and levies, the Snohomish County Fire District No. 22 received approval to build a $14 million replacement for a fire station.
Photo by Ali Ahmad DANESH from Pexels
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