Two Tacoma school levies are on the ballot. Here’s how the TNT thinks you should vote

A community is only as strong as its public schools. Next month, Tacoma residents will be asked to reaffirm their commitment to the elementary, middle and high schools that have long served as evidence of this fact.

On Feb. 8, a special election will feature two Tacoma Public School replacement levies. If approved by a simple majority of voters, Proposition 1 would fund district programs and operations to the tune of roughly $318 million over the next four years. Proposition 2 would go toward technology upgrades and improvements, raising approximately $118 million over the same period. Both would replace existing levies set to expire at the end of 2022.

At a time when household budgets continue to be stretched thin by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the ever increasing cost of living, there’s little doubt that any proposed tax is worth thinking long and hard about.

Still, The News Tribune Editorial Board strongly endorses both replacement levies, because the cost to taxpayers is well worth the continued investment in our children and our city’s collective future.

According to the district, Proposition 1 will help Tacoma schools continue the strides they have made in recent years increasing graduation rates and student access to important services, funding things like teachers, special education, nurses, counselors and paraeducators as well as preschool, after-school and extra-curricular programs. The levy would also go toward facilities maintenance and improvements to school safety and security systems.

In total, the proposed levy represents a staggering 15% of the district’s day-to-day budget, according to Tacoma Schools Superintendent Josh Garcia. It’s crucial money not provided by the state, he indicated.

Failing to pass the levy would potentially be “catastrophic,” Garcia told The News Tribune. If it happens, the district would likely return to the ballot in short order, he said and — if that didn’t work — would be forced to make painful cuts to staff and programming.

“This is about essential staff … and it really does take all of us to come together to do this successfully. Proposition 1 is about more than just people, it’s about progress,” Garcia said.

Proposition 2, meanwhile, would allow the district to continue bringing the technology it now relies on more than ever into the future, and maintain it, Garcia said. The laptops Tacoma students now rely on aren’t going away, he noted, and the tax dollars would also help to fund staff training and software, and online learning tools for teachers and children.

“We can’t go backwards. Kids need access. Computers now, they’re like having power. We can’t ask kids to learn without a computer and a device,” Garcia said.

Now for the price tag:

If approved by voters, the Prop. 1 tax levy rate over the next four years is estimated to be $1.92 per $1,000 of assessed property value, while Prop. 2 would come with a tax levy rate of roughly $0.70 per $1,000 of property value over the same period. According to the Pierce County Assessor Treasurer, the average home value in Tacoma in February 2021 was $352,322. Together, the overall $2.63 tax rate would actually be lower than what is currently being paid by homeowners.

But that’s not to say there wouldn’t be an additional cost. Due to rising property values, the cost of approving both levies is projected to be about $13 more per month for the average household. According to the district, over the past four years the average Tacoma home owner has been paying $973 annually, or $81.11 per month. If Prop 1 and 2 pass, over the next four years they will be paying $94.13 per month, or $1,129 annually.

That’s more than the proverbial latte — for many families, it’s groceries, heating or a small chunk of a rising mortgage.

At the same time, for the City of Destiny to be the kind of place its residents deserve, it’s a small price to pay.

Tacoma has a long history of supporting and maintaining school levies, and there’s no reason this special election should be different.

News Tribune election endorsements reflect the views of our Editorial Board and are written by opinion editor Matt Driscoll. Other board members are: Stephanie Pedersen, News Tribune president and editor and Jim Walton, community representative. The Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom and does not influence the work of news reporting and editing staffs. Endorsements are merely recommendations based on interviews, research and discussions among the board.

This story was originally published January 21, 2022 at 11:37 AM.