Lake Washington bond likely to fail
February 17, 2010
Although winning a solid majority, the Lake Washington School District’s proposed $234 million bond issue seems headed for failure.
As of Feb. 12, the bond had received 55.6 percent of the vote. As a bond measure, it needs to win 60 percent to pass.
Across King County there were 31 school levy votes and three bond measures proposed. Lake Washington’s bond is the only one that seems poised to fail. Some mail-in ballots are still being counted. Results will not be final and official until Feb. 24. Read more
Library vote ahead barely, school levies look to pass, Lake Washington bond in trouble
February 9, 2010
New: Feb. 9, 9:32 p.m.
A vote to increase the tax levy for libraries is tightly contested after the first round of ballots were released by King County Elections.
After the first round of ballots were released Feb. 9, the vote is 50.5 percent – 49.5 percent in favor on raising the tax. Read more
Sammamish Forum Feb. 3
February 2, 2010
Support Lake Washington bonds
I urge you to support and vote yes on the three measures on Feb. 9 ballot for the Lake Washington School District.
The three measures are: the Educational Programs and Operational Levy (EP&O), the Capital Projects Levy, and the Construction and Modernization Bond.
The two renewal levies require a simple majority to pass, and the bond measure requires a 60 percent majority for approval. The Educational Programs & Operational Levy fills the gap (19 percent) between state funding and the current cost of educational programs and support. Read more
Lake Washington bond will pay for Eastlake expansion, other projects
January 26, 2010
In addition to a pair of levy proposals, Lake Washington School District voters will see a bond on their February ballot.
The $234 million bond would be used to upgrade facilities across the district, including an expansion for Eastlake High School. Read more
Lake Washington Schools want input on new math curriculum
January 19, 2010
The Lake Washington School District wants parents’ input as it considers which elementary level math curriculum to adopt. At its Jan. 7 board meeting, the district narrowed its choices down to four programs, according to a district press release.
And although the first two review and input sessions have passed, one more is open to the community at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at Frost Elementary School in Kirkland. Read more
Lake Washington asks for funding for repairs and tech
January 19, 2010
Lake Washington schools are asking voters for a bit of money this year. The district will place two levies and one bond on the ballot.
The smaller of the two levies is the capital projects levy, which would replace an expiring levy. Read more
Lake Washington School District seeks $217.9 million for educational programs and operations levy
January 13, 2010
By Ari Cetron
Lake Washington voters will have a chance to decide on two levies and one bond measure on the Feb. 9 ballot.
The largest item is the educational programs and operations levy, which would raise an estimated $217.9 million over four years, beginning in 2011.
This would renew an existing levy that pays for approximately 19 percent of the Lake Washington district’s budget.
It pays for the purchase of new textbooks, teacher training and student activities.
It also helps fund time for teacher planning, safety and security and transportation.
The levy amount, according to district officials, is the equivalent of 612 teachers in the first of the levy’s four years.
“EP&O is absolutely critical to our survival,” Kimball said at an Oct. 7 community input session at Eastlake High School. “If this is not renewed, then the cuts … would be five times what we experienced last year.”
The Lake Washington Schools opted not to take advantage of a possible change at the state that could allow them to ask voters for even more money.
State officials are considering increasing the amount that local districts can tax through a local levy.
But district officials chose not to incorporate the amount into this levy for fear that the amount would be too high for voters to stomach.
“If that does happen, we would go back to our public,” said Kathryn Reith, spokeswoman for the Lake Washington School District.
The other levy on the ballot is an $83 million Capital Projects levy.
The district is also proposing a $234 million bond.
If approved, all three measures, plus existing bonds would mean homeowners will see a tax rate of $3.13 per $1,000 of assessed value starting in 2011, for the school portion of their tax bill.
This translates to a roughly $170 increase over 2010 taxes.
Ballots for the Feb. 9 election are expected to reach homes Jan. 19.
Lake Washington voters will have a chance to decide on two levies and one bond measure on the Feb. 9 ballot.
The largest item is the educational programs and operations levy, which would raise an estimated $217.9 million over four years, beginning in 2011.
This would renew an existing levy that pays for approximately 19 percent of the Lake Washington district’s budget.
It pays for the purchase of new textbooks, teacher training and student activities.
It also helps fund time for teacher planning, safety and security and transportation.
The levy amount, according to district officials, is the equivalent of 612 teachers in the first of the levy’s four years.
“EP&O is absolutely critical to our survival,” Kimball said at an Oct. 7 community input session at Eastlake High School. “If this is not renewed, then the cuts … would be five times what we experienced last year.”
The Lake Washington Schools opted not to take advantage of a possible change at the state that could allow them to ask voters for even more money.
State officials are considering increasing the amount that local districts can tax through a local levy.
But district officials chose not to incorporate the amount into this levy for fear that the amount would be too high for voters to stomach.
“If that does happen, we would go back to our public,” said Kathryn Reith, spokeswoman for the Lake Washington School District.
The other levy on the ballot is an $83 million Capital Projects levy.
The district is also proposing a $234 million bond.
If approved, all three measures, plus existing bonds would mean homeowners will see a tax rate of $3.13 per $1,000 of assessed value starting in 2011, for the school portion of their tax bill.
This translates to a roughly $170 increase over 2010 taxes.
Ballots for the Feb. 9 election are expected to reach homes Jan. 19.
School funding 101
School bonds and levies allow a district to tax a fixed dollar amount annually.
The amount districts collect in these taxes does not change based on changes to property values — the tax rate changes.
If property values go up, the district doesn’t get more money — the tax rate goes down.
Conversely, if values go down, the tax rate goes up.
The amount people pay stays roughly the same.
Bond: Bonds are sold to buy land, build or renovate schools. Typically, bonds are paid back via property taxes over a 20-year spread.
Levy: A levy is a two- or four-year tax assessment to cover specific operating costs not funded by the state.
On the Web
- Levy information for the Issaquah School District is at www.issaquah.wednet.edu/district/levy for the Lake Washington schools, visit www.lwsd.org/News/Levy-and-Bond-Information/Pages/default.aspx.
- Volunteers for Issaquah Schools: www.visvote.org
- Volunteers for Lake Washington Schools: www.vote4lwsdkids.org
Why not state funds?
The state’s paramount duty is to fund education. However, districts aren’t funded adequately to support education, according to research.
To help provide all that is necessary in a students’ education, like technology — which is not included in the state’s definition of education — the state allows districts to ask communities to increase their taxes via levies.
Teachers across Sammamish earn national certification
January 5, 2010
By Chantelle Lusebrink and Christopher Huber
If you thought cramming for your ACTs and advanced physics courses was tough, try spending more than 400 hours preparing videos, lesson plans and presentations before placing it before a panel of national experts.
Twenty-one Issaquah School District teachers and 40 Lake Washington School District teachers took that challenge and passed.
The 61 teachers recently received the nation’s highest certificate in teaching achievements — National Board Certification. Twenty of them teach Sammamish students.
“It feels a little bit powerful; I guess because I’m being recognized for my expertise in the teaching profession,” said Monica Greenberg, Smith Elementary first- and second-grade Quest teacher. She’s taught for about 25 years. “That fulfills me, and knowing that what I’m doing with children is important. It’s nice to have that outside recognition.”
The National Board Certification process is the only certification that compares a teacher’s knowledge and skills with a national set of professional standards, developed by the academic and teaching communities.
The process asks teachers to compile a portfolio including individual lesson plans, a video of classroom teaching and student work samples.
Each had to demonstrate how the teacher impacted their student’s learning.
Each teacher also had to take a written assessment that demonstrated their mastery of a subject area, classroom skills, knowledge base, curriculum design and student learning.
Many have already begun to incorporate the valuable lessons they learned from the National Board Certification process into their classrooms.
“It doesn’t really change the way you teach. It causes you to be a better reflector,” Greenberg said. “You think about what you’re doing in the classroom and how is that impacting the kids sitting right in front of you.”
Teachers found the process supportive of their own educational advancement, as well.
For Kimberly Ralph, a fifth-grade teacher at Endeavour Elementary School, the certification gave her a new personal challenge.
“I wanted to earn my National Board Certification to purposefully challenge myself to meet national teaching standards,” she wrote in an e-mail. “This certification program provided an intense and rigorous learning opportunity for me as a teacher.”
Working toward certification, however, was difficult, and time was a luxury not many of the teachers had.
“I was pregnant with my first child for most of the process, and trying to stay motivated to write on the weekends — while feeling nauseous and generally crummy — was definitely a challenge,” Shannon Henderson, a Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus teacher, wrote in an e-mail.
Greenberg, who already has a master’s, said her children are grown, but she still relied on consistent family support to push through the process.
“It’s very intense. Nobody saw me for a very long time. I was (up) many nights typing and retyping,” Greenberg said. “My family at home really wanted me to do it.”
Teachers choose one of 24 certificates spanning 15 subjects in various age levels of education.
In addition to the long hours, each Issaquah teacher also paid more than $3,000 to enter the yearlong process.
Many took advantage of $500-$1,000 grants from the Issaquah Schools Foundation, the school district and the state to aid them.
The Lake Washington School District pays the certification fee up front for any first-time, retake or renewal candidate, according to Dan Phelan, chief academic officer.
The teachers join more than 1,248 of their colleagues from throughout the state, in earning the certificates this year. Washington ranked fifth in the nation for teachers earning the certification this year, according to a press release from National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Nationwide, 8,900 teachers earned the certification this year.
After receiving their certificate, each Issaquah district teacher will receive a $3,500 yearly stipend from the state. Lake Washington teachers will receive a stipend of approximately $5,791.00, according to the district.
But it’s the accomplishment that drives teachers to complete it.
“I’m just proud and relieved to have it done,” Eric Ensey, a Pine Lake Middle School teacher, wrote in an e-mail. “In the midst of it, I thought it would never end. I still get goose bumps when I think about the fact that I’m done!”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.SammamishReview.com.
If you thought cramming for your ACTs and advanced physics courses was tough, try spending more than 400 hours preparing videos, lesson plans and presentations before placing it before a panel of national experts.
Twenty-one Issaquah School District teachers and 40 Lake Washington School District teachers took that challenge and passed.
The 61 teachers recently received the nation’s highest certificate in teaching achievements — National Board Certification. Twenty of them teach Sammamish students. Read more
Secretaries’ timing is all wrong
December 4, 2009
Almost everyone in America thinks they are worth more money than they are paid. Some of them are even right.
That said, we’re not particularly surprised that the secretaries union in the Lake Washington School District thinks their members deserve a raise. However, we are dumbfounded at the timing of the request.
Set aside the fact that those secretaries already have a pay scale that allows them to earn more money than secretaries in the adjacent Bellevue and Issaquah school districts.
Perhaps the secretaries haven’t noticed, but we’re just coming out of a global economic meltdown of historic proportions. They say they want their share of the pot. There is no pot to share. Last year, the school district moved heaven and earth to prevent teacher layoffs. District families saw some of their fees triple just so their child could play a sport.
The state, which accounts for most of the school district’s funding, just announced it will have to come up with $2 billion somehow.
Precious few people in the country are getting a raise right now, and almost no one in the public sector. Sammamish city employees offered to take a pay cut, although the City Council didn’t take them up on it. The secretaries need to realize they are part of a larger community that cannot afford to pay them what they would like.
We are also disturbed by their misuse of the “living wage” information. “Living wage” is a concept that acknowledges that since the minimum wage has not kept up with inflation, the amount of money needed to live in a place is usually higher than the minimum. Pennsylvania State University, which maintains a database on the topic, calculates the living wage in Sammamish to be $9.29/hour for a single person and $17.52/hour for a single parent. It ranges up to $28.63/hour for a family of four with one employed adult.
The secretaries are asking $23-$24/hour.
We hope the school district will stand fast against the union’s demands at this time. If the secretaries feel they’re not paid enough, they can always seek employment elsewhere.
Almost everyone in America thinks they are worth more money than they are paid. Some of them are even right.
That said, we’re not particularly surprised that the secretaries union in the Lake Washington School District thinks their members deserve a raise. However, we are dumbfounded at the timing of the request. Read more
LWSD to put bond on ballot
December 2, 2009
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. Read more
