Seattle select committee advances FEPP levy implementation plan, adopts targeted food-assistance amendments

The Seattle City Council's select committee on the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise levy voted July 22 to recommend passage of the I&E plan for the 2026 FEPP levy after adopting a package of amendments and two stand-alone changes the committee had set aside for separate votes.

Chair Maritz Rivera opened the meeting and said the I&E document was "really phase 2 of the FEPP levy," describing the vote as the final select-committee step before the full council. After a prolonged public-comment period in which dozens of residents and organizational representatives weighed in, the committee approved the chair's package (with two items removed for separate consideration) by a 9-0 roll call.

The committee then adopted amendment 13, a technical cleanup to align a non-college path-to-trades option with existing Seattle Promise eligibility, and amendment 14, which requires that investments awarded through competitive processes be rebid on a two- to three-year cycle. Both passed unanimously, 9-0.

Council members also debated and passed amendment 4 (changes to a proposed Seattle Preschool Program voucher pilot, including adjusted prioritization criteria and a one-year delay for implementation) on an 8-1 vote, with Council member Saka recorded as opposed. Amendment 6, which creates a new food assistance line to provide vouchers or grocery cards for low-income students over weekends and school breaks and sequences the start of universal school meals one year later to free funding for that program, passed 6-3.

The committee recorded its final recommendation to pass council bill 121240 as amended and forward it to the full council meeting on July 28; the final roll call on the recommendation was 8 in favor, 1 opposed. Chair Rivera closed the select-committee session after thanking staff, department partners and community participants.

What the committee voted on - Chair's package (as revised and excluding amendments 13 and 14): adopted unanimously, 9-0. - Amendment 13 (path-to-trades eligibility cleanup): adopted 9-0. - Amendment 14 (rebid/competitive cycle language, 2' to 3-year cycle): adopted 9-0. - Amendment 4 (SPP voucher pilot criteria/timing changes, one-year delay): adopted 8-1 (Saka opposed). - Amendment 6 (food-assistance program for weekends/breaks; sequence universal-school-meals timing): adopted 6-3. - Final recommendation to pass council bill 121240 as amended and send to full council: adopted 8-1.

Why it matters The committee's amendments change both sequencing and program design for several FEPP investments. Amendment 14 clarifies procurement cycles so competitive awards can be rebid mid-levy, which council supporters said increases opportunity and accountability. Amendments 4 and 6 redirect near-term levy dollars to pilots and targeted food assistance to address weekend-and-break hunger gaps for lower-income families while preserving the broader commitment to universal school meals in a later year; opponents warned that delaying universal implementation risks leaving entitlement claims and levy promises vulnerable and that the levy's long-term funding picture depends on uncertain revenue sources.

Implementation and next steps Central staff and the Department of Education and Early Learning will incorporate the adopted amendments into the bill language to be transmitted to the full council on July 28. Several council members signaled they intend to continue refining implementation details with central staff and department partners during the ordinance and budget phase; the select committee emphasized that departments will need clear timelines and reporting for rebid cycles and for measures tied to the new food-assistance line.

Quotes "This implementation and evaluation plan is really phase 2 of the FEPP levy," Chair Maritz Rivera said as the committee moved to votes. Council president Hollingsworth, a sponsor of the food-assistance amendment, said the proposal "is about implementation strategy to build a sustainable food system," and argued the voucher-style assistance would give schools a flexible tool to reach families in immediate need.

The committee will transmit the amended ordinance to the full council on July 28.