Thus spake Mayor McGinn during his State of the City address today. McGinn made a very public pitch about the proposed $231 million Families & Education levy, which doubles the amount of the earlier $116 million levy, and would cost the average household $124 per year, by attacking Tim Eyman’s tax-limiting initiatives.
Let’s speak honestly about what’s happening to education in the State of Washington. Tim Eyman has set this state on a path that will let our schools collapse and our children fail in order to save a few dollars. Mr. Eyman, you may have talked the rest of the state into destroying what we hold dear. But we are drawing a line around Seattle, at the city limit. It won’t happen here. We’re not going to stand by and watch public education fail in Seattle. That’s why we’re doubling the Families and Education Levy. I ask Council to stand with the community and stand for Seattle values and place this levy on the ballot as recommended.
The City Council is scheduled to vote next month on whether to place the levy for renewal before Seattle voters in November. If approved, it would fund services and programs not covered by the Seattle school district budget. The school district has no authority over the money, which is directly invested into things like preschools, health clinics, tutoring, summer school, and wraparound services for at-risk students. If a program fails to work, then the money gets redirected to something else.
Given the state of the economy, the mayor probably feels responsible for being the one to double the levy amount, which explains why he spent a good chunk of his speech today justifying it. Taking a cue from President Obama’s education saturated State of the Union speech, McGinn stressed on the importance to “out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.”
President Obama could be talking about our schools right here in Seattle. And right now, we are failing our students. Seattle has one of the most educated populations of any city in the country. But our children aren’t catching up—in particular students of color. In 2010 only 13 percent of African American students and 24 percent of Latino students met the state’s 10th-grade math standard, compared with 68 percent of white students. This is unacceptable and unjust. Seattle must do better.
Seattle Public Schools wants this levy to pass just as badly as the City of Seattle, said Holly Ferguson, the district’s Director of Policy and Government Relations, because a lot depends on it. Basically, the levy = hope for a cash-strapped SPS. But, the question is, will Seattle voters be swayed by the mayor’s rhetoric and approve a fourth education levy in just two years?
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Face it, at least this money will be spent here, not in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Red China like the Corporate Greedheads want.
Dear Mayor McGinn,
Please get some of our education dollars back from the state. According to Goldy at The Stranger, Seattle Public Schools receive only $0.37 for each dollar we pay in education taxes. In addition, our schools receive less than the average in state funding per student.
Sincerely,
A Frustrated Seattlite
@3 who the heck do you think is paying for your Social Security and Medicare checks – the kids.
Tell you what, end the two unfunded wars of Republican foreign adventure and then you can complain about US tax dollars being spent in America on Americans.
@3
no one gives a shit whether or not you have kids. the question is: did YOU go to school? yes? K-12? then shut the fuck up and pay your taxes. you know, like all those adults who weren’t your parents did for you….
Fuck Tim Eyman. He’d fit in really well with the short-sighted, racist, asinine dumb-shits who have pretty much ruined Arizona. He could sell a few watches to Jan Brewer while she giggles insanely and tosses her bleached blonde birds-nest of a hairstyle around. Russell Pearce would probably love a watch with KKK inscribed on it. Or perhaps Eyman should try Utah, where the teabagging legislature here has just voted to create a commission that will “watch” the federal gov’t and make sure they aren’t intruding into “state” territory, meanwhile the state legislates how women can use their uteruses (uteri?) and moves to take more control over public schools. Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican.
Given the cuts the legislature has already had to make to foster care and other services for children (including education) I’m ready to vote for this – just send me the ballot.
KKK? What, your testicles aren’t bugger enough to go the full Nazi? I’m glad you think 67% of WA state, 55% of King County are Klansman though, those kinds of insults help the left soooo much at election time.
Poor sarge, The skkoolllin he got made he to flunk how to espell “dam”.
Timmeh looks like a little penis.
@3 you are severely misguided. I agree that there are lots of lousy parents out there, but unless you suggest forcibly sterilizing them, their spawn are our problem whether we like it or not. Punishing bad parents by withholding education funding just punishes the rest of us instead.
These are little Seattleites in training – what kind of city do you want to live in?
I don’t wear Levis. So, I have to vote that they suck.
Time to become our own state and let the rest of Washington become what it really wants to be …. Idaho or Wyoming.
The question isn’t whether Seattle WILL vote for the levy (Seattle always votes for the levy), the question is whether Seattle SHOULD vote for the levy.
Since this is mostly support services (preschools, health clinics) that will NOT be administered by the money-mismanaging Seattle Public Schools district, I vote yes.
(At least as soon as McGinn explains how summer schools will be run without SPS)
You know, I used to think it was batshit insane when people suggested the state should be split into two; but now not so much. How can we prosper with the rest of the state sucking at Seattle’s tit? We can have legal marijuana, a world class transportation system and great schools, the other half can have their guns and bibles. Everyone is happy.
As for this levy, I’m sick of fucking levies, it would be nice if my property taxes went down since my house is no longer worth anything near its assessed value. But I might be willing to vote for this levy if the incompetent fuckheads that run SPS won’t be able to get their hands on the money.
Mayor just put his foot in a bear trap. Its like GW Bush’s “Bring it on!” moment where he invited terrorists to take on the US military (Which resulted in a surge in American casualties). By saying “The line is drawn at Seattle”, is basically inviting Eyman to bright his pony show to Seattle.
Its the main reason why developers never claim their products are unhackable, because if they do, it gets hacked by the end of the day.
Here’s another question: Will The Stranger endorse the levy like they endorsed the last one?
Allow me to quote:
“Another damn school levy? Seriously? Even though we’ve passed a slew of levies for Seattle Public Schools in the last few years (two this year alone), we need another one.”
“Critics argue that since the funds aren’t dedicated, they won’t go into classrooms or to support students. We don’t buy that argument.”
Do you buy it now?