Council warned to shape DEAL’s FEP levy implementation plan now; levy would roll school‑year funding into six‑year package
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Summary
Council central staff told the Select Budget Committee that DEAL’s 2026 proposed budget assumes a renewed Families, Education and Preschool levy that would generate about $1.3 billion over six years and that the council can guide DEAL’s March implementation and evaluation plan by setting priorities now.
The Department of Education and Early Learning (DEAL) will present an implementation and evaluation (I&E) plan in March if voters approve the proposed Families, Education and Preschool (FEP) levy renewal, and council central staff told the Select Budget Committee that the council can set priorities now to shape that plan.
“DEAL stewards the city's investments in education support services from early childhood investments to post‑secondary,” Jasmine Marwaha, Council Central staff, told the committee. The 2026 proposed budget assumes a renewed FEP levy on the November ballot that would generate approximately $1.3 billion over six years; if the levy passes, the department will roll a number of programs and funding sources into levy allocations and return to council with an I&E plan in March 2026.
Key numbers and programs: staff highlighted proposed increases in the department’s 2026 table tied to a levy renewal: about $4.5 million for the Childcare Assistance Program, $6.7 million for the Seattle Preschool program, $2.8 million in childcare worker supports, $2.8 million for expanded learning in K–12, $1.2 million for school safety around schools, $4 million to expand Seattle Promise, and $900,000 to expand Path to Trades.
What council can do now: staff outlined a range of options for expressing priorities before the I&E plan arrives. The most directive move would be reallocating budget lines (moving money between BSLs) or placing provisos in the adopted budget, but staff warned that that approach risks constraining DEAL if costs prove higher than estimated. A middle course is a statement of legislative intent that signals council priorities and asks DEAL to incorporate them in the I&E plan; the committee will then have another formal opportunity to approve levy allocations when the I&E plan arrives.
Committee discussion: Chair Dan Strauss, Committee Chair Rivera and other members emphasized DEAL’s stakeholdering underway and that the I&E plan will be the council’s formal vehicle for approving levy allocations. Councilmember Rivera said DEAL’s stakeholdering has already begun and that the department has been working with the mayor’s office and partners to refine priorities. Councilmembers raised questions about restorative‑justice investments and educator pipeline programs and asked staff to highlight engagement and evaluation specifics when the I&E plan arrives.
Ending: Staff recommended the council consider whether it wants to adopt early priorities through an SLI (statement of legislative intent), proviso or no change; in any case, council will have the statutory opportunity to adopt the I&E plan if the FEP levy passes.
