Sound Off: Legislature’s ‘levy swap’ is bad for local schools

We are incredibly proud of our schools and community and all we’ve accomplished together. However, there is a threat to our progress and we need your help to avert it.

The Washington State Legislature is seriously considering taking away the levy we just passed and using those funds to meet the state’s obligation to pay for basic education through a “levy swap.”

Losing our levy funds means reducing our local control and losing our levy programs. After taking our current levy dollars, the state expects us to run a new levy on top of this just to keep the levy programs we already voted to fund. Sound like a bad deal? It is.

In Oak Harbor, our levy provides unparalleled opportunities for students to grow through programs that routinely make headlines as among the best in the nation. These “enhancements” are vital to a well-rounded education, but the legislature doesn’t pay for them. You’ve shown your support for these opportunities by enthusiastically endorsing our levy, but now that’s at risk.

Our legislature has stubbornly underfunded “basic education,” including core classes, materials, salaries, transportation and some matching funds for construction.

This is not just our opinion. It is the unanimous opinion from our Supreme Court in 2012’s McCleary decision. The legislature’s foot-dragging in meeting their constitutional obligations to amply fund basic education is why the Court has held the legislature in contempt since 2014 and fined them $100,000 a day since 2015.

The levy swap, which the state senate is advancing, is essentially a-bait-and switch on taxpayers. In the swap, the state would seize your local levy dollars as a state tax and give them back to us with mandates for just “basic education.” To maintain current levy programs like advanced placement classes, tutor buses and athletics, we would be forced to run a new local levy. In short, the senate proposal lacks the vision to reduce other costs or raise taxes itself and places the responsibility on local communities.

In fairness, to meet the Supreme Court order there is no legislative solution without additional revenue. Instead of a levy swap, there are other options supported by the state’s house of representatives and governor. Which solution prevails in budget negotiations may be determined in the next month.

We ask for your help in urging your state reps, Sen. Barbara Bailey, Rep. Norma Smith and Rep. Dave Hayes to oppose the levy swap. Please call their offices and ask for their help.

We know our community supports schools. Oak Harbor has done its part. Now, the legislature needs to do its.

• Corey Johnson is president of the Oak Harbor School Board. This Sound Off was written in agreement with its other members: Bob Hallahan, Peter Hunt, Christine Abbot, Ana Maria Schlecht and Joseph Busig, student board member.