Everett officials outline nearly $400 million capital bond and replacement levy for Feb. 2026 ballot

Everett Public Schools staff presented two related draft measures at the Sept. 30 board meeting: Resolution 13-25, a capital bond proposal just under $400 million for placement on a Feb. 10, 2026 special-election ballot, and Resolution 13-26, a proposed replacement Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) levy. The presentations were informational; the board did not vote and staff said formal action is expected at the board’s Oct. 14 meeting.

"Tonight, this presentation will be, centering around resolution 13 25, is at for a capital bond proposal in the amount of just under 400, million dollars, for replacement, for placement on the 02/10/2026 special election ballot," said Larry Fleckenstein, the district’s chief operating officer, summarizing the bond proposal.

Fleckenstein told the board the Capital Bond Planning Committee — a 29-member community group that included four high school students and district staff — met six times and recommended a package that would pay for new and replacement projects across the district. Key projects cited in staff materials and the presentation include:

- Construction of a new elementary school to relieve overcrowding; staff said there are about 100 portables in the district at the elementary level.

- A new career and technical education (CTE) building at Cascade High School and targeted modernization at other high school vocational facilities, including replacement of Cascade High School Building 2.

- The addition of 12 permanent classrooms to reduce reliance on temporary portables.

- Safety and security upgrades districtwide (intrusion detection, camera expansion, badge access and monitoring integration).

- Two synthetic track fields (middle-school locations to be selected) to expand community access to district facilities and four elementary playground replacements.

- A $5,000,000 provision for compliance with the state Clean Buildings Act.

Fleckenstein said the bond package would prioritize permanent classroom space and deferred-maintenance work; he described the proposal as available to the public in board documents and as a product of committee work that included community engagement and facility tours.

The district outlined a timeline should the board later authorize placing the measure on the ballot: community engagement events on Nov. 6 and Jan. 20, a December 12 deadline for ballot materials from the district, and ballots mailed Jan. 22 ahead of the Feb. 10 election.

In a related presentation on the proposed replacement EP&O levy, staff described how levies and bonds interact with state funding and local tax capacity. "Currently in 2025, Everett public schools can collect just under 3,300, dollars 3,300 per FTE or student FTE enrollment," said the district staff member presenting the levy material. Staff said that state levy capacity changes will alter the district’s long-term levy authority and emphasized the complexity of communicating levy impacts to the public.

Staff told the board the draft bond resolution (13-25) and levy resolution (13-26) are available in board documents and will return to the board for potential formal approval at the Oct. 14 meeting. The presentations were informational and did not include a board vote.