City of Redmond

We believe that every child, regardless of their race or where they were born, deserves a quality education that prepares them for a rapidly-changing world.

To meet this goal, the board of the Lake Washington School District has put 3 propositions on the ballot. Proposition No. 1 is the Replacement of Existing Educational Programs and Operations Levy. This provides funding for a wide range of programs not covered by state funding, including substitute teachers, nurses, summer learning, special education staffing, mental health counselors, extracurriculars, early learning, and more. If approved, the proposition would replace an expiring levy at the current level. At a rate of $1.03 per $1,000 of assessed value from 2023 to 2026, this would cost the owner of an $800,000 home roughly $824 a year.

The current levy provides one out of every seven dollars in the district budget. Vote YES on Proposition No. 1 for Lake Washington School District so that all students can continue to have a quality education.

Proposition No. 2 is aimed at continuing to give students modern, accessible, and safe places to learn. The funding from this levy, which replaces an expiring levy at the existing tax rate, provides laptops for kids and staff, new instructional technology, access to digital learning, and repairs and replacements for school buildings. At a rate of $0.49 per $1,000 in assessed value from 2023 to 2026, these improvements would cost the owner of an $800,000 home about $392 a year.

The pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance of providing students with modern technology and safe classrooms and school buildings. Vote YES on Lake Washington School District's Proposition No. 2.

The final measure of the trio of levies for Lake Washington School District is Proposition No. 3, the Building Excellence Levy. The district notes that it has grown tremendously in recent years, with 7,300 new students and an anticipated 3,500 more by 2030. The funds from this levy would, if approved, go towards the construction of a new elementary school, expansions at Finn Hill, Kirkland, and Redmond middle schools, and additional high school capacity for 1,200 students, for an estimated total of 2,350 more students.

The levy would start at a rate of $0.42 per $1,000 in assessed value in 2023 and slowly increase to $0.53 by 2028. The owner of an $800,000 home could expect to pay approximately $336 per year in 2023.

With many schools already nearly full, the district estimates that if no action is taken, 83 percent of schools will be at or over their capacity by 2030. Overcrowded classrooms can make it harder for students to access the materials and technology they need to learn. Vote YES on Proposition No. 3 to help our schools be the foundation for student excellence in the Lake Washington School District.