Olympia. Wash — Washington lawmakers are considering a significant change to the threshold required for passing school bond measures, aiming to make it easier for local communities to fund educational infrastructure projects.
“While we’ve worked hard to invest in education at the state level, we continue to impose unnecessary barriers on our local communities trying to build and improve school facilities,” said Senator Deborah Krishnadasan of District 26.
On January 16, the state Senate Early Learning Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5186 and Senate Joint Resolution 8200. The proposed legislation would allow school districts to issue general obligation bonds for capital purposes and levy taxes to make payments on those bonds with approval by 55% of voters, rather than the current 60% requirement, said Alex Fairfortune, Committee Staff.
With this amendment, lawmakers hope to “empower local communities to address their infrastructure needs, avoid costly delays caused by repeated failed measures and resulting inflation, and foster trust in our communities by showing that their votes lead directly to improved schools,” Krishnadasan said.
The committee heard several arguments in favor of the bills. “Lowering the passage rate to 55% would give communities like mine a fighting chance to provide safe, high-quality facilities for students and families. I urge you to support this bill and help level the playing field, literally and figuratively, for students across Washington,” said Bailey Anderson, a concerned citizen.
“Moving to 55 is a step in the right direction, and we hope that you will continue to support a simple majority, which would honor the voices of communities where a majority of voters support providing safe, modern facilities for students,” said Ronda Litzenberg of the Washington State School Directors Association.
For the threshold to be lowered, SB 5186 must pass through the legislature, and SJR 8200 would need a two-thirds majority vote from both chambers. Voters would then weigh in on the amendment in November. The bills are currently listed as in committee.