Board hears levy timeline, legislative outreach and grading-practices task force progress
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Summary
Board members received a first reading of a draft resolution to place an educational programs and operations levy on the Feb. 2026 ballot, discussed continued legislative advocacy for K-12 funding, and heard that a grading-practices task force reached consensus on a two-year implementation plan.
The Edmonds School District board received briefings on three governance matters Oct. 14: a first reading on a proposed Feb. 2026 educational programs and operations levy, plans for legislative advocacy, and an update on a secondary grading-practices task force.
Levy: Staff presented draft Resolution 25-21, which would place an educational programs and operations levy before voters in February 2026 when the district's current levy authority expires at the end of 2026. The presentation summarized components that levies traditionally support (operations, programs and local priorities); staff said the board will be asked to approve the resolution at the Oct. 28 meeting in order to file for the Feb. ballot. Staff and board members asked for clear community messaging about timeline options, especially because 2028-29 is a year with other district restructurings that some families will consider in their response.
Legislative outreach: Directors discussed the short 60-day 2026 state legislative session and the Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) process for compiling district-priority lists. Board members emphasized continuing local outreach to district legislators to protect funding and to advocate for K-12 priorities.
Grading practices task force: Directors reported that a multi-school task force on grading practices convened this fall and reached strong consensus on a two-year plan to move toward more consistent, fair, and accurate grading practices across secondary schools. Staff described the plan as beginning with shared discussions and school-level alignment steps and moving to implementation across secondary classrooms over two years.
Why this matters: The levy decision will determine local funding for operations and programs. Legislative advocacy affects state-level funding decisions that shape district budgets, and the grading-practices work aims to make students' grades fairer and more comparable across schools. The board will consider the levy resolution on Oct. 28 and continue outreach and implementation planning for the grading initiative.