Lake Washington School District Levy Passing in Early Results

The  levy had an early lead at the ballots Tuesday evening with 59 percent of the counted votes favoring the $65.4 million measure.

Only 28,268 ballots had been cast and counted as of about 8:05 pm, King County Elections reported. While 16,760 voters supported the measure at that point, 11,490 people - or about 41 percent - opposed it.

Ballot counting will continue this week and the final tally will be released Feb. 23. But district spokeswoman Kathryn Reith on Wednesday was willing to discuss the next steps, which include more classrooms at Redmond High School and the construction of a secondary school.

“The vast majority of votes have come in already. We’re pretty confident that this will pass,” she said.

In a statement, district Superintendent Chip Kimball thanked the community for its "strong" support of district schools and students.

“Despite a very tough economy, our community is willing to pay for the needed expansion of space to accommodate our growing student population," he said. "Our community’s support for education is critical to our ability to prepare students for the future.”

The next ballot update will be Wednesday at 4:30 pm. Vote updates also will be released Thursday and Friday at the same time. The final results will be posted online on Feb. 23 at noon.

The levy requires a majority of votes for approval. This week, King County Elections estimated that the Tuesday vote would see a turnout of about 38 percent. As of Tuesday evening, those 28,268 ballots were 28.6 percent of all registered voters in the district, according to one set of King County data. 

If passed, the levy would provide money for additional classroom space for 250 students each at  and Redmond High School, as well as fund a new secondary school for grades 6 to 12.

The new campus would be built on land already owned by the district and would serve up to 675 students. The school would likely be on the east side of the district and focus on science, technology, engineering and math courses, officials said.

The measure, again if approved, would generate $65.4 million over a six-year period. The owner of a $500,000 home would pay $13 per month over six years, an average of about $0.28 per thousand dollars of assessed value, according to a Lake Washington School District analysis.

The amount of money per thousand dollars of assessed value slides from $0.31 in 2012 to $0.26 in 2017.

If the levy fails, supporters said, the district will be faced with having more students at Eastlake High and Redmond High in 2012 than they have classroom space.

The district reported that about 600 more students entered the school system in September than the previous year. That number is expected to grow by about 450 students per year for the coming years, officials have said. District officials base their estimates by tracking births and other populations shifts.

The overcrowding could result in the need to have multiple shifts at both high schools, wherein half the students go to school in the morning and the other half go in the afternoon. The district map might also need to be redrawn, shifting populations to the west and causing many students to be bused to schools farther from home.

Failure would also lead to a halt in promised renovation work to school buildings in Kirkland and Redmond, the district reported. District officials would then have to determine if that money would need to be used to add classroom space at Eastlake and Redmond high schools.

The Seattle King County Realtors association has come out in support of the levy. “Strong schools help to create strong communities,” said Kerri Nielsen, a local realtor and member of the Lake Washington Citizens Levy Committee.

Seattle King County Realtors believe that failure to support the levy, and the resulting effect that would have on district schools, would have a negative effect on local property values and the perceived quality of life on the Sammamish Plateau.

“I have buyers who actually say they want to live in the Lake Washington School District,” Nielsen said.

If the schools end up overcrowded or are forced to operate shifts, that could drive people away from the area, Nielsen said, which in turn, would have long-term effects on the local economy and future growth.

“Thirteen dollars a month seems pretty minimal by comparison,” she said.

Nielsen also believes that overcrowding could have a negative effect on district students. As a Sammamish resident for seven years and a former high school teacher, she has four children. Her 12-year-old daughter is one of the students who may end up getting bused to a different school or going to a late shift when she enters high school.

“I think it’s important that we show our students that we really care,” Nielsen said.