COUPEVILLE: School levies on the Feb. 10 ballot
Marina Blatt reports from Coupeville for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.
Summary by Perplexity AI
Coupeville voters will decide on Feb. 10 whether to renew two school levies that must be reauthorized every four years. The Educational Programs and Operation levy funds athletics, clubs, staffing, curriculum and student supports, while the Capital Technology levy covers building repairs, maintenance, technology and security. Local levies supply about 16% of district funding and help keep class sizes low. Critics like resident David Mahaffy argue district spending, up about 22% in five years, is unsustainable. Supporters, including Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood, say the levies are essential for small-town schools, adding about 110 dollars a year to taxes on a 500,000‑dollar home.
They Said It
“While these are four-year levies, they represent a long term investment in the next generation of Coupeville students,” Coupeville School Board President Morgan White wrote to the News-Times. “I see the impact of our schools every day through Coupeville graduates who work in local restaurants, county offices, the hospital, fire department, construction trades and grocery stores generously giving their time, talents and service back to our community. I also see graduates who leave Coupeville to attend colleges, join the military, pursue trades and build careers across the state, the nation and the world carrying with them the values, skills and sense of community they learned here.”
“While some increases have been made in state funding, it has not kept pace with the rising costs of materials, utilities, technology and the needs of our students,” Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood wrote. “Levy funding pays staff salaries and allows us to keep class sizes low. Many programs that our community has come to expect rely on levy funding.”
[Coupeville resident David] Mahaffy also volunteered to write the “statement against” the replacement levies, stating that school spending is on an unsustainable trajectory.
“Overall, Coupeville school district spending has risen about 22% in the last five years — that’s higher than the inflation rate during the same period, which includes high inflation in the post-pandemic years,” he wrote.
“The decision to ask for this increase was one that was taken very seriously by the board and district leadership. We want to ensure flexibility to bring back programs that have been cut and meet the needs of students now and into the future,” Leatherwood said. “These are the only taxes that stay directly in our community, 100% of this funding goes into Coupeville schools.”
On the Ballot in February 2026
| COUPEVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO 204 |
|---|
| Proposition No. 1, Educational Programs & Operations Levy – four year levy (2027-2030) |
| Proposition No. 2, Capitol Technology Levy – four year levy (2027-2030) |
