Community Education
Peninsula School District levy up for renewal in Feb. 10 election
On Feb. 10, voters in Peninsula School District will decide on a three-year “Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy.” The Pierce County Elections Office mailed ballots for the special election last week.
District officials refer to the measure as a “replacement” levy because it would allow continued local property tax collection for schools when the current EP&O levy expires at the end of December.
The levy needs a simple majority, 50% plus one vote, to pass.
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. on election night. The Pierce County Elections website lists ballot drop locations and other information on the election.
Levy fills staffing gaps
The EP&O levy pays for school district operations and expenses not covered under the state’s basic education funding formula.
The levy typically makes up about 17 percent of Peninsula’s budget. The district’s total general fund budget this year is $178,769,283.
Most of the levy goes to supplement staff positions that the district says it needs to keep class sizes reasonable, schools safe and instruction rigorous. The levy pays salaries and benefits for teachers, para-educators and principals, as well as non-teaching staff like school nurses, custodians, bus drivers, mechanics and school safety officers.
The district will spend more than 60% of current levy revenue on enhanced staffing in 2026, according to its 2025-2026 plan.
Details of the levy spending plan for 2027-2029 are available on the district’s website.
Approved ‘enrichment’ items
Local levy dollars also cover activities and budget items that meet the state’s definition of educational “enrichment.” Categories of allowed levy spending include:
- Athletics and extracurricular activities
- Arts and music
- Early learning programs
- Highly capable education
- Academic counseling
- Technology support
- Preventive maintenance on school buildings
- Curriculum updates
How much will levy cost?
The three-year EP&O levy expiring in 2026 will generate just over $29 million in revenue for Peninsula schools this tax year.
The proposed levy collections on the Feb. 10 ballot are as follows:
- $35.8 million in 2027
- $37.8 million in 2028
- $39.8 million in 2029
Property owners would pay an estimated $1.30 per $1,000 of assessed value each year on the levy. Actual levy rates depend on the total assessed value of properties in the district and are calculated by Pierce County in January of the collection year.
The 2025 EP&O levy rate is $1.11 per $1,000. The projected 2026 rate is $1.10 per $1,000.
State education funding and limits or caps on local tax collection factor in student enrollment. Peninsula schools currently enroll around 8,600 students. The amounts the district can collect in future years, as stated on the ballot, are fixed, and the district cannot collect more regardless of fluctuations in enrollment or total assessed property value.
Combined levy rates
EP&O levies aren’t the only local school funding footed by local taxpayers.
Property owners in Peninsula School District also pay on a 2019 bond measure and a six-year Safety, Security and Technology levy passed in 2023. The combined rate per $1,000 of assessed value in 2025 was $1.81 per $1,000.
In 2026, the projected rates per $1,000 are $1.10 on the EP&O levy, 45 cents on the bond, and 25 cents on the safety and technology levy, for a combined rate of $1.80 per $1,000.
If the district’s estimates hold, the combined tax rate would increase in 2027 to $1.99 per $1,000. That’s $1.30 per $1,000 on the EP&O levy, 44 cents per $1,000 on the bond, and 25 cents per $1,000 on the safety and technology levy.
The owner of a home worth $500,000 in 2026 is projected to pay $900 in combined local school taxes; the amount in 2027 would be $995.
Senior citizens and disabled individuals may qualify for a tax exemption.
Property owners in Peninsula School District pay $2.39 per $1,000 of assessed value in state taxes, most of which goes to fund education statewide.