School tax measures headed to the ballot in Tacoma. Here’s what they’d pay for
Tacoma residents are on track to vote in a special election in February on whether to renew two tax measures that fund Tacoma Public Schools.
The school district’s board of directors voted unanimously at a meeting Oct. 23 to put the two soon-to-expire measures on the ballot Feb. 10, 2026. The first levy, also known as Proposition 1, funds educational programs and operations that aren’t covered by state funding. The other, also called Proposition 2, funds technology improvements and upgrades.
The two existing measures will expire in 2026. If approved for renewal with a simple majority, they would expire in 2030.
District officials said the operations levy on average would cost homeowners about $2.23 per $1,000 of assessed value – an estimated additional $36 per month. The technology levy would on average cost $0.79 per $1,000 of assessed value, which the district estimates to cost an additional $11 per month for the average Tacoma homeowner.
The revenue from the levies covers about 17% of the district’s budget. The operations levy, which district chief financial officer Rosalind Medina said is decades old, covers the cost of about 500 positions at the district. It is forecast to raise about $127 million in 2027. The technology levy covers 92 positions and is forecast to raise $42 million in revenue for Tacoma Public Schools in 2027.
District officials and board members alike spoke in support of putting the measures on the ballot in February.
“We hate to ask again for this, but it is maintenance,” director Elizabeth Bonbright said at the meeting. “I just want to make sure you all know out there, the public that’s listening, how grateful we are to you and how we appreciate that you see the value for our children.”
The two tax measures would cover costs for services at the district that state funding does not cover, district officials said. The measures come on the heels of an especially difficult budgeting year for Pierce County’s largest school district, which was tasked with mitigating a $30 million budget gap. District leaders said the gap was the result of factors like inflation and insufficient funding from the state Legislature.
District Superintendent Josh Garcia emphasized the lack of state funding for education in Washington at the meeting.
“It’s unfortunate that we’re in a place that we are in Washington state funding where levies play such a critical role in basic education funding,” he said.
The district addressed the budget gap with cuts to several programs and staff positions and ultimately succeeded in passing a balanced budget in which expenditures didn’t exceed revenues. Some parents, students, teachers and staff in the district criticized district leaders for making cuts to staff positions while maintaining six-figure salaries. Many said the cuts disproportionately impacted the district’s most vulnerable students.
The board’s approval of the two ballot measures paves the way for the measures to appear on the February special election ballot, which according to the Pierce County elections website is already on track to see at least five other school tax measures for the University Place and White River school districts.
After the board’s unanimous vote, the district will start an informational campaign to educate the public about the two ballot measures, Medina said at the meeting.
This story was originally published October 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
