On February 9, residents within the Seattle Schools district will have a chance to vote for two new levies, using a special election mail-in ballot.  These levies replace two that expire this year and cover basic costs of education–from employee salaries to school building safety and maintenance–and will result in tax rates at current levels .

According to School’s First, the levies campaign organization, the Three-year Operations Levy, totaling $442.7 million, funds 23% of the Seattle Public schools operating budget for:

• Teachers
• Librarians
• Counselors
• Textbooks
• Bilingual & Special Education Specialists

The Six-year, $270 million dollar Capital Projects Levy, also known as the Buildings, Technology, and Academics Levy III (BTA III), covers building maintenance and safety, technology upgrades, athletic field turf and lighting refurbishments, Special Education improvements, and Early Learning classrooms.  $48 million dollars of this levy will help to re-open several schools, including the McDonald School building here in Wallingford, which has been closed for the past 28 years.

Seattle Public Schools places levies on the ballot every three years.  If you’re a registered voter, look for your ballot, which should arrive in the mail this month.   For more information, visit the Seattle Public Schools website to review the 2010 School Levies Election brochure.