Don’t let 59 votes cost Pasco’s students again | Editorial

On Feb. 10, the Pasco School District’s educational programs and operations levy failed by just 59 votes. It was the first time a school levy did not pass there in more than a quarter-century.

Schools now face a $50 million annual budget shortfall that would devastate critical educational programs. On April 28, voters can prevent that catastrophe.

After the levy failed in February, the school board moved quickly to try again, placing a similar four-year levy on the upcoming special election ballot.

The most important thing voters and taxpayers should note is that this is not a tax increase. Rather, it is a renewal measure that only seeks to replace an expiring levy. In fact, the rate is slightly lower and taxpayers could wind up paying a bit less thanks to new construction that spreads the costs of education across more properties.

If the renewal fails, that money disappears. The district suddenly would not have $50 million it has relied on. That is about 10% of the district’s budget and represents the sum of the levy revenue and state matching money.

Washington’s Local Effort Assistance program distributes funds to school districts in which the community has demonstrated a local commitment to education through a levy. Without the levy, the district loses the matching money meant to help districts like Pasco keep up with richer districts that can raise more money locally. Pasco would fall behind.

Without the revenue, cuts would be many and deep. Class sizes would increase, sports and extracurricular activities would be slashed, and nurses could be available fewer hours. Other service reductions would hit libraries, transportation, technology and student support personnel.

There is nothing radical in the levy. It only asks whether nearly 18,300 students will have a full education or a diminished one.

The levy would charge property owners an estimated $2.08 per $1,000 of assessed value.

That works out to $832 a year on a home assessed at $400,000. Pasco’s rate would be lower than the total school tax rates in Richland and Kennewick, both of which recently renewed levies.

Some levy opponents argue that the district has grown too fast and spends too much. While it is reasonable to raise questions about fiscal management, the record tells a different story.

Pasco’s school leadership is strong. Superintendent Michelle Whitney is the Washington Association of School Administrators’ 2026 superintendent of the year. Under her watch, the district has already cut $4 million from its annual budget and is eliminating vacant positions.

Meanwhile, Pasco and all Washington school districts must contend with declining state support when adjusted for inflation. Utility bills, insurance, fuel, technology and special education costs have all increased significantly in recent years, but the Legislature has not filled the gap.

When the Tri-City Herald Editorial Board spoke with some Senate Republicans about the recently concluded legislative session, they warned that a new McCleary case could emerge because the Legislature has not honored its constitutional mandate to fund schools.

The original McCleary v. State of Washington ruling, decided by the Washington Supreme Court in 2012, found that the state was unconstitutionally underfunding basic education and ordered the Legislature to fix it. Another lawsuit would signal that Olympia is failing students again and that local levies are patching a gap that grows wider every year.

Special elections like this face a hurdle of turnout. A few malcontents can swing the result, especially if some of the people with the most at stake do not vote. In February, 61 district coaches and two-thirds of eligible district staff did not submit their ballots. If they had cast their ballots, the district would not need to ask again.

Voters will receive their ballots in the next couple of weeks, and they must be returned to a ballot drop box or postmarked by April 28. Parents, community members, business owners and school employees all must show up this time. Pasco’s students are counting on them to vote yes.