Bellevue school district levies are passing

Three levies are expected to be passed by Bellevue School District voters who chose to increase funding for educational services within their district. The Enrichment Levy, Capital and Technology Levy, and School Bus Levy are anticipated to be implemented by 2019, bringing in millions of dollars to better fund the Bellevue School District services. All three levies have approximately just above 50 percent approval rates as of Feb. 13 with votes still being counted.
The Enrichment Levy, which will collect approximately $304 million between 2019 and 2022, will allow the Bellevue School District to pay for educational programs such as special education, STEM programs, athletics and arts funding in local schools at a cost of 99 cents per $1,000 of assessed evaluation each year, comparatively lower to the expiring $1.06 rate.
The Capital and Technology Levy is a replacement measure which will cost property tax payers 54 cents per $1,000 of assessed evaluation between 2019 and 2020, then decreasing to 53 cents per $1,000 of assessed evaluation between 2021 and 2022. The district will collect $37 million in the first year of the levies operation, rising to $42 million in 2021 and $44 million in 2022, with the total amount over four years being $163 million dollars. These funds will be going into building improvements, renovations, school expansions and tech infrastructure for 11,752 middle and high school students within the district.
The Bus Levy will cost tax payers 12 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for one year, resulting in $8 million being collected for the district to spend on replacing old school busses, renovating existing school busses and purchasing additional busses to transport students to and from school. Bellevue School District would begin the measures in 2018 and collect the taxes in 2019.
In anticipation to the passing of the tax levies, Bellevue School Districts Superintendent Dr. Ivan Duran gave a statement about their increase in funding, stating, “Our community’s support for our schools continues to make the Bellevue School District a leading district in the state and a wonderful place for our children to learn and grow together.”
Duran said, “While we are cautiously optimistic about the results of the levy vote, we are waiting for certification from the state before determining our specific next steps.”
He continued, “If the three local levies pass, we can continue to provide additional opportunities for all our students to achieve success.
More specifically, these levies will allow us to continue funding seventh period classes at our high schools and middle schools, art and music at our elementary schools, technology to enhance learning and prepare our students for the workplace of the future, and facilities and buses that will provide our students with safe and comfortable learning environments.”