Voters showed their faith in the Issaquah School District by supporting all three levies on the Feb. 11 ballot. In the Lake Washington School District, voters gave their OK to two levies, but a $755 million bond measure was falling short of a needed 60 percent “yes” vote.
Levies need a 50 percent plus one vote majority for approval; bonds need a supermajority 60 percent “yes” vote.
Issaquah’s maintenance and operations levy, the largest of the three, received 13,935 votes by Wednesday’s returns, or 68.99 percent in favor. A total of 6,264 votes, or 31.01 percent, were against the levy.
The district’s capital projects levy, which funds technology and critical repairs, had 13,835 votes, or 70.02 percent in favor and 5,925 or 29.98 percent voting no.
A one-year transportation levy for $1.7 million to replace 71 aging buses, received 13,537 or 70.59 percent in favor, and 5,639 or 29.41 percent voting “no.”
All three issues are replacement levies.
Issaquah School Board president Marnie Maraldo said she was very excited and very pleased.
“It reinforces the community bond,” she said. “We don’t take it for granted. We know these aren’t our dollars, it’s the taxpayer’s dollars.”
Lesley Austin, the co-campaign manager for Volunteers for Issaquah Schools, the citizen’s levy campaign committee, said they ran a good campaign, with hundreds of volunteers and hundreds of mailings and it paid off.
“People have confidence in the Issaquah School District,” Austin said. “The dollars will be there to provide the technology and tools they need.”
In the Lake Washington district, which provides the public schools in the Sammamish area, a maintenance and operations levy received 19,244 votes or 64.81 percent of the total. The issue received 10,448 “no” votes, or 35.19 percent.
A capital projects levy also was passing with 18,936 “yes” votes, 63.71percent of the total, to 10,875 “no” votes, or 36.29 percent.
The district’s $755 million bond measure received 16,079 “yes” votes or 57.53 percent, short of the 60 percent it needs for approval. The measure received 11,870 “no” votes, or 42.47 percent.
