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LWSD to put bond on ballot

December 2, 2009

By Christopher Huber

By Christopher Huber
The Lake Washington School Board voted unanimously at its meeting Nov. 23 to approve two levies and one bond measure for the Feb. 9 ballot.
If district voters approve all three measures, the owner of an average value home (about $500,000) would see an increase of $170 in property taxes in 2011 — from $1,448 in 2010 to $1,618 in 2011 — according to the district.
The Educational Programs and Operations levy currently makes up approximately 19 percent of the district’s operations budget and helps fill the gap between state funding and total general fund costs. It pays for sports, transportation, teachers, instructional assistants, textbooks, supplies and other classroom necessities.
The existing levy of $1.17 per $1,000 is set to expire in 2010. A vote to renew it would increase the levy to $1.34 per $1,000 of a homeowner’s assessed value in 2011. That amount would increase annually, reaching $1.46 per $1,000 in 2014.
District officials say a 13 percent decrease in average home value district wide since 2008 means the tax rate must increase to bring in the same amount of money.
The levy would generate $49.1 million in 2011, rising to $60.1 million in 2014, according to the press release. The first year’s total alone is the equivalent of the cost of paying 612 teachers, according to the district.
“EP&O is absolutely critical to our survival,” said Chip Kimball, Superintendent of the Lake Washington School District at an Oct. 7 meeting. “If this is not renewed, then the cuts … would be five times what we experienced last year.”
The Capital Projects levy’s is also set to expire in 2010.
The expiring levy is made of two components, which together are 47 cents per $1,000, said Kathryn Reith, the district’s communications director.
The proposed new levy would also be two components, which would total 49 cents per $1,000 in 2011, going up to 58 cents in 2014.
The facilities component of the levies currently generates $7.8 million per year for remodels, lighting and energy costs, among other things.
The technology component currently generates close to $8.38 million per year for computers, smart boards and other technology, as well as teacher training.
The combined levies would raise $18 million in 2011, going up to $23.7 million in 2014, according to the press release.
While renewing the levies would mean a slight increase in property taxes, passing the bond measure would mean new taxes.
If approved, it would raise $234 million and would cost $.32 to $.33 per $1,000.
It would pay to build new schools and to add on to existing schools to accommodate enrollment increases and grade-level reconfiguration proposed by making high schools for grades 9-12.
“We’re at a critical point in terms of making a decision about that,” Kimball said Oct. 7. “We have been very, very accurate in our projections in the last 15 years. Projections show we’ll have 1,300 more students by 2014.”
The Lake Washington School District has 50 schools, including nine schools that serve Sammamish residents.
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.SammamishReview.com.

The Lake Washington School Board voted unanimously at its meeting Nov. 23 to approve two levies and one bond measure for the Feb. 9 ballot.

If district voters approve all three measures, the owner of an average value home (about $500,000) would see an increase of $170 in property taxes in 2011 — from $1,448 in 2010 to $1,618 in 2011 — according to the district.

The Educational Programs and Operations levy currently makes up approximately 19 percent of the district’s operations budget and helps fill the gap between state funding and total general fund costs. It pays for sports, transportation, teachers, instructional assistants, textbooks, supplies and other classroom necessities.

The existing levy of $1.17 per $1,000 is set to expire in 2010. A vote to renew it would increase the levy to $1.34 per $1,000 of a homeowner’s assessed value in 2011. That amount would increase annually, reaching $1.46 per $1,000 in 2014.

District officials say a 13 percent decrease in average home value district wide since 2008 means the tax rate must increase to bring in the same amount of money.

The levy would generate $49.1 million in 2011, rising to $60.1 million in 2014, according to the press release. The first year’s total alone is the equivalent of the cost of paying 612 teachers, according to the district.

“EP&O is absolutely critical to our survival,” said Chip Kimball, Superintendent of the Lake Washington School District at an Oct. 7 meeting. “If this is not renewed, then the cuts … would be five times what we experienced last year.”

The Capital Projects levy’s is also set to expire in 2010.

The expiring levy is made of two components, which together are 47 cents per $1,000, said Kathryn Reith, the district’s communications director.

The proposed new levy would also be two components, which would total 49 cents per $1,000 in 2011, going up to 58 cents in 2014.

The facilities component of the levies currently generates $7.8 million per year for remodels, lighting and energy costs, among other things.

The technology component currently generates close to $8.38 million per year for computers, smart boards and other technology, as well as teacher training.

The combined levies would raise $18 million in 2011, going up to $23.7 million in 2014, according to the press release.

While renewing the levies would mean a slight increase in property taxes, passing the bond measure would mean new taxes.

If approved, it would raise $234 million and would cost $.32 to $.33 per $1,000.

It would pay to build new schools and to add on to existing schools to accommodate enrollment increases and grade-level reconfiguration proposed by making high schools for grades 9-12.

“We’re at a critical point in terms of making a decision about that,” Kimball said Oct. 7. “We have been very, very accurate in our projections in the last 15 years. Projections show we’ll have 1,300 more students by 2014.”

The Lake Washington School District has 50 schools, including nine schools that serve Sammamish residents.

Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com.

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Written by Christopher Huber · Filed Under Local News 

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