EPS will submit ballot measures for an Educational Programs & Operations levy, and a Safety, Security & Technology Capital levy
VANCOUVER – Evergreen Public Schools will ask voters to approve two replacement levies in the special election on Feb. 11, 2025, after the EPS Board of Directors unanimously approved the measures at its meeting on Tuesday.
EPS will submit ballot measures for an Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) levy, and a Safety, Security & Technology Capital (SSTC) levy. If approved by a simple majority of votes (50% plus one), the measures would replace existing levies that expire at the end of 2025. Both replacement levies would last four years.
The EP&O levy (Proposition 7) would replace a levy passed in 2022 and would pay for:
- Teachers, principals, counselors, coaches, safety & security, school support staff including secretaries, paraeducators and others.
- Extracurricular activities, including athletics, orchestra, band, choir, theater, field trips
- Special education, multilingual learners, highly capable, smaller class sizes
- Curriculum, textbooks, professional development
The SSTC levy (Proposition 8), which would replace a six-year levy passed in 2019, would pay for:
- Student and staff devices, school audio-visual equipment, network infrastructure
- Technology staff
- Online curriculum, school communication systems, internet services
- Emergency response systems, cyber security, internet safety software
Revenue from levies covers 13.5% of the district’s overall budget. Levy dollars pay for school services and programs in EPS that are not covered under the state’s basic education funding model.
The total estimated 2026 property tax rate for both levies is $2.75 per $1,000 of assessed value for each home in the EPS enrollment area ($2.35 for EP&O, $0.40 for SS&T). Homeowners are also paying a property tax for EPS’s 2018 Envision Evergreen bond that allowed the district to rebuild 15 buildings, including 13 modernized school campuses. The bond’s $1.28 rate in 2026 brings homeowner’s overall rate to $4.03 that year
The overall rate will reduce in each subsequent year of the levies. Estimated rates (rates can fluctuate because of changes in property assessments and area growth):
- 2026: $4.03 ($2.75 levies, $1.28 bond)
- 2027: $3.85 ($2.59 levies, $1.26 bond)
- 2028: $3.71 ($2.47 levies, $1.24 bond)
- 2029: $3.59 ($2.38 levies, $1.21 bond)
The Evergreen Education Association, the union that represents the district’s 1,500 certificated educators, including teachers and others, approved a union resolution supporting the levies and urging the Board to seek the maximum allowable levy rates.
More information about the levies is available at evergreenps.org/levy
Information provided by the Evergreen School District.
Also read:
- Signatures filed for initiatives on parental rights, blocking trans athletes from girls’ sports
Supporters of two initiatives on parental rights and transgender participation in girls’ sports filed signatures Friday, moving the measures closer to consideration by Washington lawmakers. - Vancouver Police investigate shooting
Vancouver Police are investigating a fatal shooting reported early Jan. 3 outside the Off-Ramp Sports Bar on Northeast 112th Avenue. - Vancouver Police release critical incident video from Dec. 28 officer-involved shooting
Vancouver Police Department released a Critical Incident Video related to a December 28 officer-involved shooting while the Office of Independent Investigations continues its review. - Opinion: Transit agencies need accountability not increased state subsidy
Charles Prestrud argues that Washington transit agencies face rising costs and declining ridership due to governance structures that lack public accountability. - Letter: ‘For years, American foreign policy too often felt like a blank check’
Vancouver resident Peter Bracchi argues that the 2025 National Security Strategy marks a long-overdue shift toward clearer priorities, shared responsibility, and interest-based American leadership. - POLL: Are you better off than you were a year ago?
This week’s poll asks readers to reflect on their personal financial situation and whether they feel better off than they were a year ago as economic conditions continue to shift. - Opinion: Does tailgating cause speeding?
Target Zero Manager Doug Dahl examines whether tailgating contributes to speeding and explains why following too closely increases crash risk with little benefit.
A hard no.