Bellevue School Board approves two levy renewals for 2027–2030 collections

The Bellevue School District Board of Directors voted unanimously Oct. 14 to approve two resolutions placing levy renewals on the Feb. 10, 2026 special election ballot. Resolution 2025-14 would renew the district’s Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levy and Resolution 2025-15 would renew the Technology and Capital Projects levy.

The board approved the EP&O renewal (Proposition 1) as a four‑year levy with voter‑authorized amounts of $88.3 million for collection in 2027, $93.2 million in 2028, $97.9 million in 2029 and $103.0 million in 2030. District staff said the proposal maintains the same projected tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value used in the previous levy cycle (75 cents per $1,000) but noted a statutory cap tied to enrollment may limit actual collections; based on current enrollment the district could collect about $80 million, which would translate to a lower effective rate (about 68 cents per $1,000) if enrollment remains at current levels.

Superintendent Kelly Aramaki told the board the EP&O levy funds programs the state does not fully cover, including middle and high school seventh‑period instruction, counselors, nurses, mental‑health and special‑education services, advanced learning and extracurriculars, and student transportation.

The board also approved the Technology and Capital Projects renewal (Proposition 2) as a four‑year levy with voter‑authorized amounts of $64.0 million (collection 2027), $67.0 million (2028), $70.0 million (2029) and $73.0 million (2030). District finance staff said the proposition supports classroom and operations technology, cybersecurity and network infrastructure, school facility repairs, safety and security upgrades and energy conservation projects. The presentation noted the district’s projected local schools tax rate (including bond and levies) would remain near the current level of about $1.90 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Budget staff said levy revenue comprises roughly 24% of the district’s revenue budget, and explained the district modeled a 5% assessed value growth assumption in levy rate projections while allowing room for potential CPI adjustments, enrollment increases and other changes. The district reported it has received OSPI approval for its levy plan, and the approved resolutions will be filed with King County elections by Dec. 12 to meet election deadlines.

Board members discussed communication points for voters, emphasizing transparency about what the levies fund and noting that state funding does not fully cover several services that levies support. Several directors said keeping the voter‑authorized tax rates the same as the prior levy was preferable to raising rates.

The board’s adoption was followed by the required roll‑call votes for each resolution and by direction from staff on next steps related to filing materials with the county for the Feb. 10, 2026 special election.