With graduation rates now exceeding 90%, Kent School District continues to deliver on the promise of preparing all students for their futures.  This levy will provide the necessary funding for capital and technology improvements to continue delivering a high-quality education for all KSD students!

The capital improvement needs are urgent.  The district has aging school buildings that require upkeep and repair to keep our students safe and comfortable.  Your levy dollars will support replacing outdated building technology infrastructure, updating school safety and access control systems, replacing aging roofs, boilers, and flooring, purchasing new HVAC and air quality equipment, and installing modern synthetic playfields for school and community use.

Technology prepares students for the new modern world.  The technology program will provide 1:1 computers, equipment, and software so our students can learn using cutting-edge technology.   With these tools, we can prepare our students for job opportunities across the region.

The district needs this capital and technology levy to maintain long-term sustainability, and the levy was designed to minimize the financial impact on homeowners.  We owe it to ourselves, our students, staff and community to make this investment in our community's future.  Vote yes for our kids on April 23^rd!

Submitted by: Bill Boyce, Dana Ralph, Jeff Wagner, pdkweiler@icloud.com

Half-truths, empty promises, and zero accountability. After a bond and levy failure, two community feedback surveys, and numerous presentations, there is virtually no difference between this levy and the previously failed attempts: same tax amount, same projects, no changes to transparency or accountability.

This levy is being called a replacement while doubling in value to over $60 million per year. A massive increase. Some projects are important, such as A/C in schools, and the district could have compromised by running a dollar-for-dollar replacement to prioritize these projects. Instead, they chose to maximize their funding at the cost of the taxpayer.

Mill Creek’s field is supposedly a priority for this levy, but its field was already on the 2016 Bond. The district built synthetic fields at two other schools while ignoring Mill Creek. If “Promises Made, Promises Kept” Bond projects can be ignored, what confidence can you have in a levy that can be changed at the district’s discretion?

KSD does not listen to or value community input. The pro committee for this levy is made up entirely of local politicians, not a single community voice. There is one way to make your voice heard: vote No on this levy.

Submitted by: Joseph Riley, Shawn Bettinger

The proposed levy would not lead to a "massive increase" in taxes.  The failure of the 2023 bond led to a one-year decline in levy support.  This levy proposal asks to resume initial support, with about 4% inflation each year.  The district also did not ignore the community feedback.  Since the Bond failure, the district has amended the project list, and reduced the overall tax proposal by over $5 million for 2025 and 2026.

Submitted by: Bill Boyce, Dana Ralph, Jeff Wagner, pdkweiler@icloud.com

Increasing the levy from $30 million to $60 million per year is not minimizing the financial impact on homeowners.  Asking for more levy money to band-aid schools rather than gaining trust to rebuild them with a bond is not an investment in our community's future.  Using school levy funding to build synthetic fields for community use is not an urgent need.

Spend money on what our kids truly need, not what politicians are prioritizing.

Submitted by: Joseph Riley, Shawn Bettinger

Download the full text of the resolution

Simple majority (Wash. Const. art. VII, sec. 2(a))

For questions about this measure, contact: Ben Rarick, Associate Superintendent, (253) 373-7164, ben.rarick@kent.k12.wa.us