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No.? The projects are close to the same because those are still the highest priority needs based on professional assessments of Kent School District facilities. The pre-k programs space expansion has been removed from this levy after community input ranked it lower in priority. The failed 2023 Bond asked for $495,000,000 to fund capital projects. The 2024 Capital Projects and Technology Replacement Levy asks for $190,200,000 over three years. 

Following the failure of the 2023 Bond, the district conducted a Community Feedback Survey.?Those results were shared publicly and with the Board of Directors at their June 28, 2023, meeting.?A full public discussion did take place, and each citizen can? and review the materials on the  agenda in BoardDocs.? 

The 2024 capital projects were identified as emergent needs of the district in the failed 2023 Bond by the Bond Planning Task Force. The Bond Planning Task Force analyzed data produced from thorough internal and third-party assessments of each facility to determine a list of capital projects. A combined assessment of each facility’s , , and reveals the district’s capital facility needs at each location. Through a facilitated process, the Task Force reviewed these assessments and developed recommendations that aligned location needs with district-wide initiatives based on core values and best practices for the future of learning environments in Kent School District. Through a series of seven meetings, the Task Force members reached a consensus on a singular recommendation to be presented for consideration to the school board and superintendent.  

The Bond project list was further refined and prioritized, with input from the community, for the failed 2023 Capital and Technology Levy and revised again for the 2024 ballot measure.  

The board is notified when levy projects are changed. 

The difference in levy projects versus bond projects is primarily that levy projects are not funded through Bond Sales, and therefore don’t involve an Official Statement and a set of assurances to bond purchasers, and a public hearing process set out in RCW for any amendments to plans represented as part of the Bond Sale 

The Kent School District remains committed to transparency and accountability in the utilization of all bond and levy funds. Regular updates are provided in the monthly publication, Foundations, to ensure the community is informed about the progress or completion of projects in previously approved bond and levy measures. 

Executive Director Dave Bussard and Deputy Superintendent Wade Barringer continue to meet with the city of Kent to provide a solution of flooding impacts to the Mill Creek Middle School field. The City is working with several outside entities, including the Army Corp of Engineers, regarding the creek itself. They are optimistic about the partnership and conversations toward a solution to the current creek situation that will reduce, but not eliminate, incidents of flooding.  

The City is optimistic that work on Mill Creek will begin sometime in 2025 or shortly thereafter. The timing is largely dependent on federal permit approval which is not within the control of the City. The City’s project in the creek may take several seasons to complete due to the regulatory complications of working in a salmonid stream, but they are committed to completing the work as quickly as possible. 

In the meantime, we intend to move forward with design, a concept rendering and initial surveying for improvements to the Middle School field, improvements which are not dependent on the work that will be performed by the City in Mill Creek. All agreed information and updates would be shared moving forward. The completion of this project will be funded by the 2024 Capital Projects and Technology Levy if approved. 

2016 Bond projects 

2018 Levy projects 

Of the budgets closed on the levy, there were 35 projects over budget, with the rest under. These projects have not “exceeded overall levy funding. 

The district has made an extra effort to post several transparent and detailed tax tables and charts which can be reviewed on the?2024 February School Board Levy Presentation. 

You can also contact the district at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵappLevy@kent.k12.wa.us?if you have more detailed questions.? 

At a high-level, this proposal essentially increases the school district taxing authority by the rate of inflation. 

The district cannot make projections about an individual property owner’s tax bill or property assessment.  However, total tax collections for ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵapp are projected to go up less than 3% in 2024 as a result of this levy.  The average over the four years of the levy is approximately 3.5%. 

Like most larger districts in Washington, Kent is a recipient of ESSER funding from the Federal government.? However, according to?, this funding is to support expenditures “intended to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.”? According to the same regulation, these funds are initially available for obligation only through the end of 2024 school year.?? 

While the ESSER funds are targeted to a specific purpose, the Capital Projects & Technology Replacement Levy would?provide the majority of funding over the next three years for health and safety, critical repairs and improvements, and technology education, including the continuation of 1:1 student and teacher laptops and tablets.  

Over time, as property values rise and fall in a community, the same tax rate may in fact yield different total tax dollar obligations for a homeowner.?? 

The district cannot collect more than the approved maximum, even if property values go much higher.? ?? 

For Proposition 1, on the April 23, 2024, ballot, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵapp understands our community and voter sensitivity. A?tax collection for our community?that also addresses the educational needs of our students was a primary goal of planning the levy.??? 

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• Calculates the estimated cost of property tax measures for each piece of property within the taxing district proposing the tax measure.?? 
• Voters can look up the properties they own.? 
• Includes a link to the King County Elections website where voters can review the language of the ballot measures.?
  Therefore, regardless of what property values do during the life of the levies, we are only able to collect the set amount listed below.?
• Levy year 2025, rate per $1,000 is $1.36, levy amount is $60,900,000?
• Levy year 2026, rate per $1,000 is $1.36, levy amount is $63,400,000?
• Levy year 2027, rate per $1,000 is $1.36, levy amount is $65,900,000? 

The district would not collect the amount of money listed below and would need to fund the essential projects out of basic education funds. With ESSER funding ending in 2024, this would be an impact to the budget. 

Our school board legally may choose to place the same levy two times before voters in the same calendar year.? 

• Levy year 2025, rate per $1,000 is $1.36, levy amount is $60,900,000? 

• Levy year 2026, rate per $1,000 is $1.36, levy amount is $63,400,000? 

• Levy year 2027, rate per $1,000 is $1.36, levy amount is $65,900,000? 

Kent School District receives money from four sources.?The state?provides?the largest?portion?of the district’s annual?budget.?Federal dollars pay for a percentage of programs including Vocational Education, Special Education, Native American Education, English Language Acquisition, Disability,?and Nutrition?as well as special grants.? 

Local funding?provides approximately?15% of the?operating?budget. Local funding is generated through levies and bonds approved by the voters. Both are based upon local property valuations—property owners pay a set amount for each $1,000 of property value.? 

Once approved, bond and levy amounts cannot increase with property values. When property values increase in a community, the amount paid per $1,000 decreases.? 

Local non-tax resources such as student fees, grants, Kent Schools Foundation donations, and PTSA?provide for?less than 1% of the annual budget.? 

State funding of local public school districts is a work in progress. In 2018, the state legislature passed new laws increasing state support for school districts, while simultaneously limiting what school districts could raise through local voter-approved levies. However, the legislature never intended to eliminate local levies altogether. Since the passage of this new law, local school district costs have continued to rise, and state funding has not kept pace with these demands. Among other things, the state funding formula does not pay for:? 

• The true cost of wages and benefits for ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵapp teachers and staff. ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵapp pays $40,000,000 above state allocations. 

• The cost to support all of ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵapp’s classroom teachers.? 

• The cost of hiring school nurses, guidance counselors, and other staff providing support to students.? 

• The total cost of providing individualized educational programs and services to our students with special needs.? 

• The cost of many of ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵapp’s basic operating costs which include information technology and cybersecurity services, as well as the cost to maintain school grounds, provide security services for all ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵapp buildings, and support operational costs like basic utilities and liability insurance.? 

If you have questions or need?additional?information, please contact our?Deputy Superintendent,?Dr. Wade Barringer,?Wade.Barringer@kent.k12.wa.us,? or (253)?373-7203.?? 

For information about your ballot or other general election information, you can reach King County Elections at (206) 296-8683.?