Kennewick School Board approves two replacement levies to keep programs, expand safety and technology

The Kennewick School District Board of Directors voted unanimously Wednesday to place two separate replacement levies before voters that the district says are needed to maintain current programs and to fund safety and technology upgrades.

The first measure, Proposition 1 — described by district staff as a four‑year Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) replacement levy — was presented to the board with projected levy amounts of $29,500,000 for fiscal 2027, $31,500,000 for fiscal 2028, $33,000,000 for fiscal 2029 and $34,500,000 for fiscal 2030. Dr. Brillhart summarized the levy’s purpose as closing a funding gap between projected state and federal revenues and the local dollars the district uses to sustain extracurriculars, additional nurses, security officers and other programs the state does not fund. “Again, this is a 4 year EP and O levy resolution,” Dr. Brillhart said during the presentation.

Board members voted on Proposition 1 by roll call after an advisory vote from student representative Diego; the board recorded a 5–0 approval. The board moved and voted on Proposition 1 separately from the second measure.

The second measure, Proposition 2, is a replacement levy the district labeled for safety, security and instructional technology improvements. District staff said the proposal largely reflects current technology spending while adding a capital component to pay for building hardening and perimeter safety upgrades across the district’s more than 30 buildings. The presentation listed $8,500,000 for fiscal 2027 and about $12,000,000 for fiscal 2030; one mid‑range figure in the spoken presentation was unclear in the transcript. Dr. Brillhart told the board the levy would allocate roughly $3 million to $4.5 million per year for safety hardening across all buildings, in addition to technology needs.

Board members again approved Proposition 2 by roll call, with an advisory student vote recorded as “yes,” and the motion carried 5–0.

District officials emphasized that these levies are replacement measures intended to preserve programs the state’s prototypical funding model does not cover. “The state does not fund anything outside of the classroom per se, such as extracurriculars…additional school sites, security officers,” Dr. Brillhart said, explaining that local levy dollars are used to provide those services.

What the levies would fund: district presenters named extracurricular activities (athletics, music, robotics), security officers and technology infrastructure among intended uses. Staff said local dollars generate about 13 percent of the district’s total funding and that if an EP&O levy fails the district can lose access to certain state LEA funds currently allocated at the state level.

The measures will next be placed on the ballot in accordance with county election schedules; district staff did not provide an implementation timeline in the meeting presentation.

Votes at a glance • Proposition 1 (EP&O replacement levy): Motion moved by a board member (speaker 5); advisory vote recorded from student representative Diego (yes); roll-call outcome 5–0 (approved). • Proposition 2 (Safety, security and instructional technology replacement levy): Motion moved by a board member (speaker 5); advisory vote recorded from Diego (yes); roll-call outcome 5–0 (approved).

The board President closed new business after the votes and moved on to the superintendent’s report.