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Key Findings

1. Seattle officials want voters to pass a new Families and Education Levy of $636.5 million, more than double the special levy it is replacing.
    
2. The levy would cost a family with a median-priced home $249 more per year (up from $136 a year under the old levy), in addition to regular property taxes of nearly $6,000/yr.
    
3. This is the sixth time city officials have sought this extra tax.  The first Families and Education Levy was passed 28 years ago. 
    
4. To date the levy has failed to achieve what officials promised.  It has not significantly raised test scores, reduced the achievement gap, increased graduation rates, or made every student college-ready.
    
5. Levy supporters said it would ensure that every pre-schooler is “ready to learn,” but children in the program have gained no benefit in learning skills compared to other students.
    
6. Regular property taxes in King County increased in 2018 by an average of 17%, adding about $800 more in tax, to a total of about $6,000/yr for a typical family.
    
7. In recent years the state has added about $7 billion more for schools.  Seattle now spends $18,000 per student, more than many private schools. 
    
8. The high tax burden in Seattle contributes to income inequality, as the financial cost of special levies falls hardest on households that are least able to afford it.

Introduction

Seattle officials are again asking voters to pass a special tax to pay for a basic public service.  In this case they want voters to approve an added property tax of $636.5 million over seven years for an expanded Families and Education Levy that is on the November ballot.  This is the sixth time city officials have pressed for this particular special levy.  They are also seeking to increase the tax burden imposed under the levy by 119%, raising it from $289.6 million in added taxes to $636.5 million. 

Officials estimate that a family with a median-priced house in the city would pay $249 more per year, up from $136 per year under the expiring levy. This increase would be on top of the 2018 state property tax increase for schools that raised property taxes in King County by 17 percent, which requires the typical family with a median-priced home (estimated currently at $509,000) to pay almost $6,000 a year.

Officials say they would spend the levy money on K-12 schools ($229.7 million), preschool ($363 million), and to provide community college vouchers to Seattle public school graduates ($43.8 million).  Under a policy that is unusual for U.S. cities, these city tax funds would be spent on local schools, which already have a separate source of funding.

The city money would be in addition to the $955.4 million in funding the Seattle School District receives through its own local levies and from state and federal funding.  Currently the School District spends about $18,000 per student, more than the tuition at many private schools.

Proponents of the 2018 Families and Education Levy say the money would be used to:  

• Eliminate the achievement gap between minority and white students;
• Improve academic achievement;
• Improve high school graduation rates;
• Provide more money to schools;
• Expand City of Seattle preschool program;
• Offer Seattle Public School graduates community college vouchers.

These are typical of the promises officials make whenever they have proposed this city levy to voters.  This Citizens’ Guide provides an overview of this latest proposed Families and Education Levy, reviews the history of the levy, and assesses whether the levy has been effective in meeting the promises made by its supporters.

Download the full Policy Brief