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Schools

Shoreline Schools' Supplemental Levy Will Appear on November Ballot

Levy to Support Class Size Reduction

The Shoreline School Board approved a resolution at its July 27 meeting placing a supplemental levy proposal to support class size reductions in response to state budget reductions on the November 8, 2011 general election ballot.

The decision to place the supplemental levy on the ballot comes in the wake of the planned cuts to basic education in Shoreline of approximately $6.2 million annually.

Included in these cuts is $4.3 million in voter approved I-728 dollars used for class-size reduction, professional development of staff and extended learning opportunities for struggling students. Another $1.1 million in funding was cut in class-size reduction in grades K-4, funding which has been in place for more than 20 years. Finally, more than $770,000 was reduced in other areas, including salary compensation.

The impact of these reductions is magnified by the loss of federal stimulus funds for special education and Title I programs. In addition, the state has raised the retirement and health care costs to the District by approximately $865,000 over the next two years.

Even after having to supplement K-4 class size funding by using $600,000 in reserve funds this year, the District believes that it can sustain the current class size model for 2011-12. However, by 2012-13 more revenue would be required to maintain the current classroom staffing model.

Passage of Proposition No. 1 would allow the levy of $1.3 million of property taxes in 2012, the levy of $1.4 million in 2013, and $1.5 million in 2014. If authorized by the voters and based upon current assessed valuation information, the estimated levy rates per $1,000 of assessed value would be $0.09 in 2012; $0.09 in 2013 and $0.10 in 2014.

The measure would require a simple majority for passage. Current estimates suggest that such a measure would increase rates about $36 a year for a home valued at $400,000. Voters in the neighboring districts of Edmonds, Northshore and Seattle have approved similar supplemental levy measures in the past year.

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