Levy for programs (EP&O)
Pays for school programs and staff beyond what the state funds. Usually called an “educational programs and operation” levy.
- How long
- Up to 4 years
- To pass
- More than 50% yes
- Money
- Collected each year as property tax
School levies and bonds
What is on your school ballot
Many Washington school districts ask voters to approve levies or bonds, most often in February. Find your district to see the exact ballot wording in plain words, what it would cost for your home, what it needs to pass and how past votes went.
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Coming soon. We are still collecting this election’s school measures from district resolutions and county elections offices. The explainers below already work, and you can come back to see your district.
Find your district
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Washington school districts
How school levies and bonds work
Capital, technology or bus levy
Pays for buildings and repairs, computers and networks, or school buses, depending on the levy.
- How long
- Capital and technology levies: up to 6 years
- To pass
- More than 50% yes
- Money
- Collected each year as property tax
Bond
Borrows a large amount at once to build or rebuild schools. Property owners repay it, with interest, over the years the measure states.
- How long
- The repayment term on the ballot
- To pass
- At least 60% yes, and enough ballots returned
- Money
- Repaid each year as property tax
How a tax rate works
Rates are written as dollars per $1,000 of your home’s assessed value (the value on your county property tax statement).
Example
$400,000assessed value
1,000per $1,000
$2.00rate
$800a year, about $67 a month
A levy is approved as a dollar amount for each year. The district spreads it over all property, so the rate is only an estimate: when home values in the district go up, the rate usually goes down, and the reverse.
Why districts ask for levies
- The state pays for “basic education” as the law defines it.
- Local levies may pay only for “enrichment” beyond that, such as extra staff, programs and activities. State law caps them at the lower of $2.50 per $1,000 or a set amount per student.
- Bonds and capital levies pay for buildings. The state can add matching money for some construction.
Districts with lower property values can get extra state money (Local Effort Assistance) when voters approve a levy. Sources: RCW 28A.150.276, RCW 84.52.0531, OSPI: property tax levies, OSPI: Local Effort Assistance.
What it takes to pass
Levyover 50%
Bond60% or more
A bond also needs enough ballots returned (“validation”): at least 40% of the number of people in the district who voted in the last general election.
Sources: RCW 84.52.053 (school levies), RCW 84.52.056 (bonds).
Sources
- Washington Secretary of State: elections
- Department of Revenue: property tax exemption for seniors and people with disabilities
Limits of this data
- Past results come from OSPI and, for 2022 and 2023, the Secretary of State. Some 2022–2023 results are missing. Official results are the county elections office’s.
- School tax rates are the Department of Revenue’s latest year, for the county the district is based in. It reports capital, technology and transportation levies together.
- Upcoming measures are checked by hand against district board resolutions, district levy pages and county elections pages. Each one says how far it has gone.