Voters in three of the Spokane area’s largest school districts should support the school levy and bond elections on ballots that will be arriving in their mailboxes next week. 

Spokane Public Schools and Central Valley School District have crafted measures that would finance large construction projects in coming years without raising the tax rate levied on their constituents. Mead school district’s proposal would raise taxes in that district, but the tax rate would remain lower than it has been historically—and lower than it is in other districts.

All three proposals are worthy of voter approval.

Two other school districts are holding bond elections, and 13 districts here and in surrounding counties are seeking approval of maintenance-and-operations levies. The Journal’s editorial board hasn’t vetted each of those 15 proposals fully and won’t give a blanket endorsement to all of them.

In general, however, we believe that strong schools educate properly the future workforce and are a key component in the quality of life that spurs some businesses to relocate to the Inland Northwest. So while we won’t give them universal endorsement, we’d ask voters to give them careful consideration. 

Of the three larger district proposals, the biggest single ask is from Spokane Public Schools. The district is seeking approval of a $145 million bond to fund school-improvement projects during the next six years. When coupled with savings from a previous bond election and state matches, that construction plan balloons to $205 million in work. The district’s proposal maintains the local tax rate, and if approved, it would continue the long-term capital plan the district laid out years ago. 

Spokane Public Schools has developed an enviable model for funding capital improvements—and one that other districts could emulate.

Like SPS, Central Valley school district is proposing a measure that would keep the tax rate level while generating $121.9 million for new improvements. 

The district, for which voters haven’t passed a bond since 1998, has grown by 1,700 students in the past 10 years and faces crowding at every level—elementary, middle school, and high school. 

More alarmingly, many of the elementary schools in that district that are slated for renovation were built in the 1970s as what are known as “open-concept schools.” In such schools, classrooms don’t have set walls, and exterior doors throughout provide multiple points of entry into the building. Such schools are difficult to secure, and planned improvements should make them safer places to learn.

In Mead, a $69.5 million bond, coupled with state match, would fund $101.6 million in work. Unlike the SPS and Central Valley proposals, the Mead measure would more than double the current tax rate. However, the rate still would be below the district’s 10-year average and lower than neighboring districts.

Greater Spokane Incorporated’s Maria Vandervert says, “Education is the foundation for the success of moving forward in our entire economy.” 

To a great degree, we concur and ask voters to take that into consideration in the upcoming elections.