Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor | District should be fully transparent about levy
I applaud and thank Thomas Long for addressing Peninsula School District’s request for a local levy to help fund our schools. School funding in Washington state is an extremely complex subject, but he’s done a nice job of setting out his concern.
Most requests for tax levies or levy lid lifts are not done with full disclosure. The disclosures that are done meet the legal requirements, but they are designed to get you to vote “yes.” Unfortunately, no one formed a committee against the measure so that counterpoints could be included in the voters’ pamphlet. I wish I had been more involved in that process.
The existing rate is in the $1.11-$1.13 per $1,000 in assessed value range. The current levy was voted on in 2023 and took effect for 2024, 2025, and 2026. Here’s what Christina Henry wrote in her article back on February 14, 2023:
“The estimated tax rates for the Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy are: $1.13 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2024, $1.12 per $1,000 in 2025 and $1.10 per $1,000 in 2026. The levy would generate $27 million in 2024, just over $28 million in 2025 and just over $29 million in 2026.”
Again, Ms. Henry was quoting the estimates that were provided in 2023. Mr. Long has also pointed out that estimates are being used this time around. Estimates are allowed by applicable laws as there is no way to avoid them when predicting future property taxes because the changes in future assessed values are unknown.
Point #1: As both Ms. Henry and Mr. Long have shown us, the numbers the District is showing us are estimates only. They could be lower or, much more likely, higher. More information on this would be helpful.
This 2027, 2028, and 2029 levies would raise the rate to $1.30. The table below shows the estimated funds to be raised by the levy approved in 2023 and the new proposed levy we’re voting on now that will take effect in 2027. The percentage increases in estimated levies are also shown.
| Year | 2023 | 2026 | % Increase |
| 1 | $27,000,000 | $35,800,000 | 32.6% |
| 2 | $28,000,000 | $37,800,000 | 35.0% |
| 3 | $29,000,000 | $39,800,000 | 37.2% |
Notice the increase from 2026 (the existing levy) and 2027 (the proposed levy) is more than 23% in just one year! With stagnant enrollment figures.
I don’t have any data on the historical figures for the total assessed values within the school district but you can use the amounts and rates to get to those numbers. The 2023 assessed values were just under $24 billion. The assessed values in 2026 are $27.5 billion.
If the rates were to stay the same as they were in 2024, the taxes to be collected in 2027 would still increase by more than $4,000,000. This is because the total taxes raised is a combination of three numbers:
- The assessed value of our homes
- The assessed value of new construction (this is a big number!)
- The rate being applied to our assessed values
A 16% rate increase coupled with a similar percentage increase in assessed values results in a more than 32% increase in the taxes we are expected to pay. And, that percentage is estimated to increase even further in 2028 and 2029. Where does the school district disclose that?
Given that our assessed values increased dramatically and new construction further increased total assessed values and given that the proposed rate would also see a dramatic increase, I would like to get the answer to this question:
Why hasn’t the dramatic increase in assessed values resulted in some easing of the rate rather than a significant rate increase?
The District may have a good answer to that question. The District might tell us that inflation might explain this more than 30% increase. If so, the Consumer Price Index for the Greater Seattle area might be informative. The CPI increased by about 9% from the beginning of 2023 to the end of 2025. I think in the interest of full disclosure the District should provide the answer to the question above so that we can be fully informed voters.
Point #2: Using the District’s own numbers, our taxes will increase from an estimated $27,000,000 in 2023 to an estimated $39,800,000 in 2027. That’s an increase of more than 47%!!! Student enrollment is about the same as in the 2020-2021 school year so why this huge increase?
I have not yet made up my mind on how I’m going to vote because schools and safety (law enforcement, fire, and EMS) are high priorities for me. Whichever way you vote, try to be as fully informed on this levy as possible.
Craig McLaughlin
Fox Island