Thank you, Arlington voters!
We wanted to take a moment and update our community on the results of the Feb. 13 Special Election. Prop. 1 (EP&O Levy) and Prop. 2 (Capital Levy) have been approved, while Prop. 3 (middle school bond) did not meet the required threshold for approval. We are thankful to our community for their continued support and will provide updates on our next steps for Prop. 3.
EP&O Levy Renewal
The four-year EP&O Levy is a renewal of the existing four-year EP&O Levy,
which expires at the end of 2024.
K-12 education is not fully funded by the state. We rely on the EP&O Levy Renewal to continue funding for roughly 11-12% of our overall budget.
That funding goes to staff, educational programs, operations, technology, special education, extracurricular activities, and other educational programs and operations expenses.
VIDEO- Learn about Arlington Public Schools’ Educational Programs and Operational Levy Renewal
Here is a breakdown of how levy dollars are spent:
| Estimated EP&O Levy |
| |
Rate/$1,000 |
|
| Collection Year |
Assessed Value |
Levy Amount |
| 2025 |
$1.65 |
$13,460,000 |
| 2026 |
$1.64 |
$13,796,000 |
| 2027 |
$1.63 |
$14,141,000 |
| 2028 |
$1.62 |
$14,500,000 |
Capital Levy Renewal
The four-year Capital Levy renewal continues funding for districtwide health,
safety, infrastructure and facility improvements, including, but not limited to replacing, repairing, upgrading, modernizing and/or improving roofing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, mechanical and electrical systems and equipment, windows, technology infrastructure (e.g., fiber and telecommunications), kitchen equipment, plumbing, and paving and parking; and making other health, safety, infrastructure and facility improvements at district facilities.
VIDEO- Learn about Arlington Public Schools’ Capital Levy Renewal
The 2024 Capital Levy Renewal will collect roughly $26,300,000 amount over the next four years. That funding will go to the following projects:
| Site |
Project |
Cost |
| Arlington High School |
Projects range from: roofing repair, flooring repair, water heater repair |
$6,896,301 |
| Weston High School |
Projects range from roofing repair, plumbing, paving and parking |
$1,429,521 |
| Haller Middle School |
Projects range from roofing, painting of walls, kitchen equipment, parking and paving |
$5,153,881 |
| Eagle Creek Elementary |
Projects range from flooring to intercom maintenance, paving and parking, playfields |
$2,395,119 |
| Presidents Elementary |
Projects range from kitchen equipment, plumbing |
$439,178 |
| Pioneer Elementary |
Projects range from interior wall repair, plumbing updates, paving and parking |
$713,473 |
| Stillaguamish Valley Learning Center |
Projects include landscape and irrigation, roofing, paint, updates to bathrooms, heat pumps, storm systems |
$1,621,841 |
| French House |
Projects include chimney repair, exterior painting |
$83,935 |
| District Office |
Project include exterior painting, interior ceilings, heat pumps and fiber |
$222,068 |
| Transportation Center |
Projects include storm water systems, paving and parking, exterior paint |
$3,414,731 |
| Total |
|
$26,300,000 |
For a full breakdown of the projects that would be funded by the 2024 Capital levy renewal, go
here.
Estimated Cost of Capital Levy
| Estimated Capital Levy |
| |
Rate/$1,000 |
|
| Collection Year |
Assessed Value |
Levy Amount |
| 2025 |
$.77 |
$6,334,000 |
| 2026 |
$.77 |
$6,492,000 |
| 2027 |
$.77 |
$6,654,000
|
| 2028 |
$.76 |
$6,821,000 |
Middle School Bond
The Middle School Bond provides for the replacement of the 
deteriorating, existing Post Middle School. This bond would help ensure that students currently attending Eagle Creek Elementary and Kent Prairie Elementary have access to a middle school that offers similar levels of support as their current elementary school.
If approved, construction on Post Middle School would begin in 2025, meaning students who are currently in 4th grade at Eagle Creek Elementary or Kent Prairie Elementary would be in the new Post Middle School at the start of 8th grade.
The new school would correct the safety and security concerns of the existing Post Middle School. New construction would be earthquake resistant, have interior hallways for security, have larger classrooms to support Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) education, and be protected from fire with a fire sprinkler system. The cost of the bond is $95 million.
VIDEO- Learn about Arlington Public Schools’ Middle School Bond
VIDEO- Differences between Arlington Public Schools’ two middle schools
What will the bond fund?
A new Post Middle School would be built behind the existing school building.
Construction would take approximately three years and complete in September 2027. When the new school is complete, students and staff would move to the new building, providing a seamless transition between old and new without disrupting their education. The new construction would also provide a safe running track and athletic field. The Post/Eagle Creek Elementary/Stillaguamish Valley Learning Center/APPLE campus serves 1,500 students daily. The redeveloped Post site would include a bus lane to separate car and bus traffic for all schools, providing a safer transportation and pedestrian network across the entire campus.
Why rebuild Post Middle School instead of renovating it?
The bond costs $95 million dollars and will build a new Post Middle School, while also developing the entire campus including track, field, parking and drive lanes.
It would cost the district $101,083,448 million dollars to renovate Post Middle School, but that would not address the safety issues with the exterior entry points. Renovating would mean working within the existing limitations of Post Middle School. The school itself was built in 1981 and lacks the infrastructure to renovate effectively.
What happens if the bond fails?
Post Middle School is past its usable lifetime. If the bond is not approved, the district will continue working to ensure the school meets the basic needs of its students, however, if systems or components were to break, it would result in a disruption of student learning.
K-12 Funding
Did you know K-12 education is not fully funded by the state of Washington? That is why districts like ours rely on local funding measures to bridge the gap between what the state funds and what we need to support our students, staff, and school buildings.
Bonds & Levies
Bonds are for building. The state does not provide any funding for the construction, maintenance, repair, or replacement of our school buildings. That is why districts like ours rely on bonds to complete these projects. Bonds help fund modern learning spaces that support the growth of our students.
Our Facilities Advisory Committee (FAC) was convened in 2016 to review safety
and security needs in our schools and have helped recommend capital projects for past capital levies and bonds. The FAC is working this year on developing recommendations for a potential 2024 bond.
Local levies. Levies provide funding for the critical day-to-day operations of the district. They fund staffing positions like nurses, counselors, paraeducators, and teachers. They also fund extracurricular activities, technology, and safety and security updates.
In 2020, our community approved a
four-year Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levy and a Capital levy renewal. Learn how these measures are making a difference for our students here. Both levies are up for renewal in 2024.
Learn the difference between school bonds and levies and property values
Bonds and Levies...What's the Difference?