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State hearing spotlights push to lower school bond threshold to simple majority
Summary
A Washington state House committee heard hours of public testimony in favor of reducing the voter approval threshold for school construction bonds from 60% to 50%, with witnesses citing overcrowded classrooms, aging facilities and uneven access to state matching funds; no committee vote was recorded.
A Washington state House committee heard public testimony supporting House Bill 1032 and House Joint Resolution 4201, measures that would reduce the voter approval threshold for local school construction bonds from 60% to a simple majority.
Supporters said the change would allow more school districts to pass bonds for building repairs and expansion. "A 50% threshold would align with the standard used for levies and match the threshold used by 37 other states in the country," said Martin Turney, chief of finance and operations for the Issaquah School District. Turney told the committee his district recently had a bond that received "over 50% voter approval" but failed under the 60% rule.
Why this matters: Proponents argued the current supermajority requirement leaves districts unable to address overcrowding, seismic and infrastructure problems, and can block access to state matching funds that…
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