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Northshore School District weighs $700 million bond and levies for February ballot
Summary
At a Sept. 8 study session district staff presented EP&O levy background under a recent state law change, tech-levy budget scenarios ($25M–$40M/year) and a task-force recommendation to seek $700M in bonds; board members pressed for household impact figures and set an October decision timeline.
At a Sept. 8 study session, Northshore School District staff outlined options for three ballot measures the board may place before voters in February: an education program and operations (EP&O) levy, a technology levy, and a capital (bond) measure. Staff said the choices together determine the district’s total tax-rate impact.
Director Jolene Berg told the board the district’s current EP&O levy runs through calendar year 2026 and reminded members the district previously asked voters for $70.2 million for 2026; staff noted existing statutory capacity is higher. Berg said recent state action (presented as House Bill 2049 in the materials) raised the local levy lid and shifted more funding choices to local voters, so districts must often ask voters for additional EP&O revenue.
Staff presented ranges rather than final figures: EP&O modeling showed an estimated tax-rate increase on the order of a few tenths of a dollar per $1,000 of assessed value if the district maximizes available levy authority. Finance staff also presented bond scenarios from $450 million up to $700 million and several tech-levy options ($27M, $30M, $35M, $40M per year). In combined scenarios that pair EP&O, a bond and a tech levy, the district’s example slides showed total tax-rate outcomes in roughly the low-$3.00s per $1,000 range depending on the mix of measures.
Board members repeatedly asked for concrete household examples to use in community communications. One board member asked staff to convert the levy and bond combinations into annual, monthly and weekly homeowner impacts and staff agreed to provide clear, household-level figures for public outreach.
Berg asked the board to aim for a final decision by the first board meeting in October. She said the district must then submit an EP&O spending plan to OSPI, adopt resolutions for each ballot measure, meet the county’s filing deadline on Dec. 12 and prepare for the Feb. 10 election.
The study session included detailed technical questions about assessed valuation assumptions, the effect of maturing bonds on future rates, and how neighboring districts’ choices influence comparisons. No formal motions or votes were taken at the session; staff said two more study sessions will be scheduled for deeper review and that board members should send additional questions to staff before the next meeting.
