What Happens When a School Levy Fails? Are Private Schools Affected?

Unlike private schools, public schools depend on levies to fund a lot of their health and safety staff, building maintenance, arts programs, and more. 

If you live in Washington state, you’re probably worried about school levies. You may think the levies are too high or worry about what schools will cut if a levy fails. One thing is clear: school levies have a major impact.

A few of our local school districts have seen levy failures recently. Last April, school levies failed in Marysville, Stanwood-Camano, and Lakewood School Districts. The Marysville school levy finally passed after a third try this February. However, some of the district’s students have already felt the impact of the first two failures.

Other local school districts, like Mukilteo, Edmonds, and Shoreline School Districts, also get funding from levies. Let’s take a look at what school levies pay for and how they affect local public and private schools.

WHAT A SCHOOL LEVY PAYS FOR

In Washington, the state funds what it calls “basic education” in public schools. It’s a minimum standard that includes:

• Academic standards in some subjects
• Some special education, accelerated learning, and English language support programs
• A minimum number of school days and hours

“Basic education” funding is supposed to cover the most important parts of K-12 education. In practice, it doesn’t cover everything that families consider important. For example, the state only pays for a nurse at each elementary school for 1.5 days a week. Schools need other funding sources to pay for most health and safety staff, building maintenance, technology, and other learning programs.

That’s where levies come in. With school levies, public school districts can bridge the gap between state funding and the education they hope to provide.

Public school district levies can pay for many different things. In some cases, they pay for health and safety costs, like wages for nurses, mental health professionals, custodians, school resource officers, and security personnel. In other cases, they pay for building and technology maintenance like fire alarm upgrades, heating, or school computers. 

They can also be used for educational opportunities that go beyond the basics. Electives, athletics, arts programs, school dances, and clubs often draw some of their funding from levies.

The one thing levy money can’t be used for is basic education. The money can’t be used to enhance salaries for English or math teachers doing their basic duties. However, these teachers may benefit from the money if they have extra responsibilities, like holding after-school programs.

You may be wondering where private schools fit into all this. The answer is simple: they don’t. Private schools are not funded by levies in Washington state, so they aren’t directly affected when a levy passes or fails.

WHAT HAPPENS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHEN A SCHOOL LEVY FAILS?

When school levies don’t pass, the local public school district has less money to spend. It has to cut the budget, which often means laying off staff or putting off building maintenance. Sometimes public schools can pull money from other sources, like the school general fund or savings, but the district still faces tough choices. 

Many educators think public schools in this state rely too much on levies. Under our current funding system, school districts are at risk of having to make large cuts every few years. Too many programs depend on voter sentiment about levies. If a levy fails, it can lead to school staff leaving and valued programs disappearing.

In some areas, levy income is a large part of the school district’s budget. It pays for most public school nurses, technology, science equipment, building safety upgrades, and everything else not covered under the state’s definition of “basic education”. So when levies fail, these things often have to get cut.

In Marysville School District, the school levy that failed last April would have paid for athletics programs, computers, facility improvements, extra classroom staff, and some special education services. Last fall, the school board had to make decisions about what to cut. Many public middle school sports programs were cut, high school sports came with higher fees, and there were fewer teachers. The district’s levy passed this February after a third attempt, but some students have already felt the impact of the first two failures.

The recent failed levies for Lakewood and Stanwood-Camano would have paid for capital projects and technology needs. Some of these districts’ planned projects, like fire sprinkler installations, new roofs, and adding more classroom space at some schools, have been stalled. 

Beginning in 2024, Stanwood-Camano will have to begin pulling some broken Chromebooks out of service without replacements. That means there may not be a one-to-one student-Chromebook ratio anymore.

HOW PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE FUNDED

Private schools don’t depend on school levies the way public schools do. Instead, they get most of their funding from tuition, donations, endowments, and private grants. Catholic schools usually get some funding from the local archdiocese. 

If you don’t want your child’s education to be dependent on voters’ whims, a private school might be a good choice. These schools tend to offer strong academics and everything that doesn’t fall under Washington state “general education”. That includes sports, the arts, after-school activities, high-quality STEM equipment, extra wellness resources, stronger safety programs, and more.

While every school is different, on average, private schools tend to get better academic results than public schools. They send more students to prestigious colleges. Check out our blog to learn more about the differences between public and private high schools.