School board approves running Capital Levy in November election to replace Post Middle School

The Arlington Public Schools Board of Directors approved at its May 28 meeting a Capital Levy to replace Post Middle School and improve traffic flow onto the Post/Eagle Creek/Stillaguamish Valley Learning Center campus. Community members will vote on the Capital Levy during the Nov. 5, 2024 election.

“Even though a majority of Arlington voters have voted in favor of a Post Middle School bond five times during past elections, we have not been able to meet the 60 percent supermajority needed for bond passage,” said Brian Lewis, Executive Director of Operations. “Capital Levies only require a simple majority and have a much shorter duration compared to a bond – six years versus 20. Capital levies do not have interest costs like bonds, so it costs taxpayers less across the life of the levy. One drawback is that it takes longer to gather funds from a capital levy versus a bond, so the project would take longer to complete.”

The Post Middle School Bond provides for replacement of the obsolete and unsecure existing Post Middle School. The new school would correct the safety and security concerns of the existing Post Middle School. The new school 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.

Additionally, the Washington State Legislature made changes to state funding for school construction in 2024 session. “Our State Construction Assistance Program funding for Post has increased from around $5 million for past elections to around $25 million,” said Lewis. “This means that we’re asking for a smaller amount for Post from the previous election.”

The project cost is $106,284,827, minus $25,125,606 for the Schools Construction Assistance Program funds the district would receive from the state. The cost to taxpayers to replace Post Middle School is $81,159,221. This is down from the $95 million ($100 million minus $5 million construction assistance funds) that was put before voters in the February 2024 election. More information about the Capital Levy proposition will be available soon.

Type	Proposed Amount	Estimated Monthly Cost for $500K Property	Estimated Annual Cost for $500K Property	Lifetime Cost for $500K Property
Six-Year Capital Levy	$81,159,221	$65	$775	$4,650
20-Year Bond (February 2024 Proposed Bond)	$95,000,000	$32	$385	$7,700