Snohomish County school funding measures appear poised for defeat

LAKE STEVENS, Wash. — School funding measures across Snohomish County appear poised to fall short, according to early, unofficial election results posted Wednesday night.

Bond measures for the Lake Stevens School District and Sultan School District looked to be short of the required 60% approval for passage, and a capital levy for the Arlington School District looked to fall below the simple majority of votes it required.

The bond in Lake Stevens would have helped the district build a new elementary school, modernize the existing elementary and middle schools, and improve district infrastructure.

“This school was constructed 30 years ago,” said Dr. Mary Templeton, Superintendent of Lake Stevens School District of Glenwood Elementary School. “There are no doors.”

Both Glenwood and Skyline elementary schools don’t have interior doors in classrooms. Instead, classes are separated by curtains.

“The very first thing that comes into our minds is, ‘Oh, our kids are no longer safe,’” said Kristina Schweizer, with the Lake Stevens Citizens Committee for Students.

Templeton also says the district has been unable to construct new buildings to keep up with growth. She said the district has seen a 20% increase in enrollment over the last ten years.

“That’s not stopping,” she said. “In fact, it’s increasing and accelerating quickly.”

The district needs money to do that. Parents supportive of the measure say they hope others understand the importance of paying it forward to support children in the district.

“The reality is, any of us who have ever lived in a house, you have to update it,” said parent Bill Walles. “You can’t just let things continue to go and go over time.”

On Wednesday night, just under 57% of voters had voted to support the measure, just short of the 60% threshold. Votes were still being counted.

The district said it was awaiting the results to be finalized.

“We are awaiting the release of tonight’s election results, but are preparing for the reality that our bond will fall short of the needed 60 percent approval,” wrote Jayme Taylor, a spokesperson for the district. “We will take time to assess the outcome and work closely with our Board of Directors, staff, families and community to determine the best path forward. Our goal remains the same—to provide the best possible environment for our students, and we will explore our options to address the needs of our schools. We will also seek feedback from our community as we consider the next steps.”

In Sultan, the bond proposal would have provided funding for an expansion at Gold Bar Elementary, minor upgrades for Sultan Elementary School and construction of a new 45,000-square-foot elementary school on Sultan Basin Road.

At the latest posting on Wednesday night, 47% of voters had voted for the measure, short of the 60% required.

In Arlington, a capital levy would have helped replace Post Middle School.

On Wednesday night, it had received just under 45% of the vote, short of the 50% required.

VIDEO: Snohomish County school districts need funding

The school was constructed like schools in Southern California, with outdoor hallways and lockers. During rain, teachers and district officials say the courtyard floods, and students come to class with wet shoes and socks.

The outdoor lockers are no longer in use because of rust from the outdoor elements.

The technology is outdated too.

“Little bit of wind like today and we’re completely out of internet,” said Britt Kleinman, Chair of the Citizens Committee for Arlington Public Schools.

The district has tried to pass a bond to fund the project five separate times. All five proposals failed after failing to receive 60% of support, though all five proposals received a majority of the votes.

This measure just requires a majority, which the district did not have by Wednesday evening.

“It’s always going to be an uphill battle,” said Arlington’s Director of Communications Gary Sabol. “The problem is that the deficiencies at Post Middle School are not going away.”

On Wednesday evening, the Lake Stevens School District sent out the following message to students, staff, and parents:

Dear Lake Stevens staff and families,

Snohomish County has just released its updated election results. While our bond currently has 56.52% approval, it has not reached the required 60% threshold needed to pass. With approximately 5,800 ballots remaining to be counted, it is unlikely that we will meet this requirement.

We are disappointed by this outcome but extremely grateful to the more than 10,600 residents who voted in support of our students.

Our next steps include reaching out to our stakeholders—our staff, families and community members—for feedback to better understand the priorities and needs within our district. We will take time to carefully review this feedback and work closely with our Board of Directors to determine the best path forward.

Our commitment remains unchanged—to provide the best possible learning environment for our students. We will continue to explore ways to address the essential needs of our schools. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated staff and volunteers for their efforts in planning and sharing the importance of this bond with our community. Together, I am confident that we will find a way forward for our students and community.

You can expect to hear from us soon with more details and opportunities to provide feedback.

Warm regards,

Mary Templeton, Ed.D. Superintendent

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