Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor | Can’t support PSD levy request
Once again we are being asked to approve a tax on ourselves without full disclosure. The current combined total Peninsula School District tax is $1.81 per $1,000 of assessed property value. At present the EP&O portion of that amount is $1.11-$1.13. The 2026 rate will increase that amount by a 15% increase to $1.30.
Going forward the levy rate in 2027 and 2028, the three year limit on this levy is only estimated. It may well be considerably more. Remember that the combined local school tax is in addition to the state school levy to be set by the legislature. That portion of school funding has yet to be determined by the Legislative body. Property assessments for tax purposes were set last spring. Those property assessments will add even further to the tax increment that we will pay later this year. In many cases the assessments may not match reality.
For many people, dependent on Social Security this school tax increase alone will absorb all of their social security increment for 2026. Few people on a fixed income received a 15% bonus going into 2026. Our children and grand children deserve a good education. The enhancement provided by the EP&O is important and necessary. But the taxation message needs to be clear and with full disclosure. I would fully support the measure if it were capped at $1.30 but an estimate for future payments is not acceptable especially given the fluctuation in property values.
I cannot support a measure based on estimate in particular with so many factors affecting the actual taxes to be paid.
Thomas Long
Gig Harbor