SEATTLE — Today, voters across Western Washington will be casting their votes for Special Elections Day. In Seattle, two proposals that are on the ballot will ultimately decide whether Seattle Public Schools (SPS) continues to get millions of dollars in critical funding. Some parents spoke out this morning, appealing to voters for the two levies they hope will pass.
Parents and students rallied outside Ballard High School and Franklin High School early in the morning on Election Day, calling on voters to approve the levies that would keep funding key parts of SPS’ budget. Many parents across the district hope that voters are willing to keep SPS running as they are.
Gina Topp is on the school board for SPS and was one of the people out early this morning calling for voters to pass the levies, saying, “We need to invest in education.”
Lesley Krokower was out in the cold Tuesday morning near Ballard High School, also calling for voters to sign off on the levies, “I shudder to think what would happen if we take away current funding. We obviously want them to vote yes on props 1 and 2.”
Protests have rocked SPS over the last school year when it was announced that dozens of schools could close because of the district’s $100 million budget shortfall. That plan was whittled down to a few schools, but that did not satisfy parents, who continued to protest. Ultimately, the idea was tabled, and when that happened, some parents said they would vote for the levies in the February Special Election to continue funding critical SPS operations.
Krokower knows the levies fund things like transportation, general operations, and much more, “Building safety and security and about 90% of the district’s technology budget, so student computers and tablets, all those things which we just saw were really helpful when we had those snow days right.”
Krokower says the victory on school closures needs to be solidified with a vote to approve levies that keep the current SPS funding flowing, “Seattle voters have been generous in the past, and I’m hoping that they come through again.”
While these measures will not fix the shortfall, some parents say they don’t want SPS to fall into an even bigger fiscal hole if the levies don’t pass. Melissa Pailthorp, who also held a sign near Franklin High School Tuesday morning, does hope that voters see the importance of the school funding, “These levies are part of the big equation to keep our schools strong.”