Seattle voters show solid support for school fees among the budget crisis of the $ 100 million area – Komo News

Seattle – The early results of special elections are in terms of two fees for public schools in Seattle, which would handle everything from operations and staff to recovery and modernization of schools.

Proposal 1 of Seattle State Schools, three -year -old, $ 747 million, a fee for operations and staff, is currently a leader with 78% of the vote, according to early preliminary results.

Meanwhile, a 2 -year -old, $ 1.8 billion fee, aimed at recovering and upgrading schools, is also ahead with 72% of the preliminary number of votes.

Related: Seattle voters to decide on renewing decisive school levies against the backdrop of a budget deficit of $ 100 million

“These are the main means we must keep to our schools open; they are not new taxes. They simply replace our existing levies,” said Jake Evarte, SPS parent and tax support.

Proposal 1: Updating educational programs and operations (EP & O) is a fee of $ 747 million. It provides funding for daily operations that are not fully covered by state funding. This tax finances salaries for school maintenance staff such as security, special education and multilingual staff. The tax is directed to the transport of students and extracurricular activities such as athletics, arts, music and more.

Proposal 2: Building Excellence VI Capital Levy (Bex VI) is a fee of $ 1.8 billion. It provides funding for technology for the whole area for schools and students, renovation and/or substitutions in five school buildings and other infrastructure improvements in existing buildings.

Special elections come as SPS continues to fight a $ 100 million budget shortage.

“They have to manage their budgets a little less,” says Joshua Newman, a parent at SPS. SPS recently withdrew its decision to close more than 20 schools with insufficient inclusion after a return reaction from parents and students.