VOTER INTERESTS PROJECT: Argument for the Stanwood-Camano School District Levy
The Island and Snohomish County Election Departments mailed ballots to voters in the Stanwood-Camano School District this week. The district is asking voters to approve a Replacement Capital Projects and Technology Levy. Voters rejected the levy in the February special election; the school board submitted the same levy, without changes, for the April special election. The levy is the only issue on the ballot in Island County. Ballots are due on April 26.
To aid you in deciding how to vote on the levy, we present below the Argument For the measure followed by the Rebuttal of Argument For, as included in the online voters guide. The Argument Against and Rebuttal of Argument Against can be found in this post.
The Voter Interests Project does not take a position on ballot measures.
Argument For
Our children are the best investment we can make as a community, and your support is crucial in funding critical infrastructure that our community relies on to educate our children.
State funding is not adequate to provide all the services and programs our community expects, and our students need. This levy allows locally directed dollars to fund vital capital and technology projects that are not funded by the state and which have been prioritized and selected by a group of community members.
This proposed replacement levy will fund important technology updates, materials, and support, as well as capital projects with significant needs – the replacement and/or maintenance of older systems like boilers, roofs, fire sprinkler systems, PA systems, security fencing, and sidewalks.
Will property taxes go up? No, this is a renewal of an existing levy, and the total amount collected is capped. As property values go up, the rate adjusts down to meet the capped amount. This is not a new tax, but a continuation of the small annual amount you already pay.
We encourage you to go beyond these statements to understand the proposed levy. Send your questions to the Stanwood-Camano School District: scsdinfo@stanwood.wednet.edu and learn the facts at stanwood.wednet.edu.
A good education for our students benefits us all. Their success carries our community and nation forward. There is no greater gift a community can give its children than supporting the educational tools that allow them to thrive. Please join me in voting YES.
James McCafferty
Rebuttal of Argument For
While the district has come to lean on local taxpayers to supplement schools’ revenue, levies are intended for educational programs above and beyond “basic education”* If buildings, maintenance, and technology cannot be covered by the state’s dedicated capital funds, perhaps it is time to reevaluate how the district spends that income. Again, voters demand greater transparency regarding spending—greater, certainly, than is currently offered on the district’s website—before we commit to a levy.
*https://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/WM/Documents/K-12%20Booklet_2015%202-10-15.pdf
Stacey Birk
