EP&O Replacement Levy Preserves Funding for Every FWPS Student.

Voting Yes for this four-year replacement levy helps reduce class size, supports competitive salaries for our teachers, staffs school security and technology, maintains college and career prep programs, and ensures that the special education services continue to qualify for federal funds. In addition, this levy supports after school enrichment, community outreach programs and sports programs.

It is crucial to preserve current school district funding levels to ensure that these programs are available to all students. The state provides less funding per student to FWPS than it does to other districts in King County, and yet FWPS manages to spend a larger percentage of our dollars in the classroom than other districts. And because the state maintained levy equalization funding, Federal Way Public Schools was able to reduce its current EP&O tax collections, saving taxpayers over $17 million in 2 years.

EP&O levies maintain local support for our students and have been consistently supported by parents, residents and businesses in Federal Way.  Let’s renew our commitment to children, schools and our community. Vote Yes for schools!

Visit www.citizensforfederalwayschools.org

Union officials in the Federal Way Schools have pressured the school board to divert levy funds from student services in order to pay teachers more. Our levy should pay for student services, not for wage increases.

In the collective bargaining agreement sought by union officials, the average state-provided wage of $49,853 for teachers will be enhanced by 15 percent from levy and levy-matched funds. This costs roughly $9.8 million per year which could be better used to help at-risk students or reduce class sizes. The school district leads taxpayers to believe the levy money is being used for students, yet large amounts support union priorities instead.

Levies are great for funding local priorities and unique services for our area students, but taxpayers should hold off giving the school district any more money until the school board is able to put student services above the demands of union officials.

The con statement is one of over a dozen boilerplate statements urging voters in various Washington school districts to vote against school levies crafted by authors who don’t live in Federal Way nor represent our community’s values.

Levy dollars are used for local priorities and unique services for our students. It is about continuing the current level of funding to preserve current programs and support teachers. Our community supporting our students. Vote Yes!

http://www.fwps.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/FWPS-AR-winter-2014-WEB-small.pdf

Statement submitted by: Kris Milholland, Amye Bronson-Doherty, and Kelley Tanner
www.citizensforfederalwayschools.org

Don’t let the Federal Way School District confuse you by a nuanced definition of taxes, levy, new, or renewal. Approving this measure will increase the amount you pay the government. Taxpayers should hold off giving the district any more money until the school board is able to put student services above the demands of union officials.

Voting ‘no’ on Proposition 1 will send this message to the district: Be more responsible with taxpayer’s money.

Statement submitted by: Laurie Lyford, Renay Bennett, and Tom Henningsgards
propertyrights4us@gmail.com

Download the full text of the resolution

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