Levy Advisory Committee Discusses Capital Levy Renewal

Members of the 2026 Levy Advisory Committee gathered at Maywood Middle School on September 16 for their second meeting, which was focused on learning about the Capital Levy.

The Capital Levy is one of the district’s three current levy measures, which will expire unless they are renewed by voters. Across Washington, school districts use local levy dollars to cover the gap between the funding that the state and the federal government provide, and the true cost of school district operations.

Issaquah’s three expiring levy measures, which were approved by voters in 2022, include:

• Educational Programs and Operations Levy (EP&O): This four-year levy provides about 16.6% of the district’s 2025-26 budget, including funding for special education, classroom teachers, nurses, student programs and more.
• Capital Levy: This four-year levy helps pay for Technology and Critical Repairs.
• Transportation Levy: This one-year levy helps pay for school buses.

The committee, which includes students, parents and caregivers, staff members and community volunteers from across the district, is reviewing proposed funding options and providing feedback to the superintendent. During the September 16 meeting, committee members heard about how Capital Levy funds can be used to support Technology and Critical Repairs.

Chief Information Technology Officer Jason Golec and Director of Educational Technology Diana Eggers shared about the current use of levy dollars for technology to provide a Universal Digital Learning Experience. This includes:

• Equitable access such as teaching stations, 1:1 student devices for grades 6-12, and connectivity
• Professional development for staff, a focus on developing teacher skill and knowledge to provide an engaging digital learning experience where they learn technology and also use technology to learn
• Support, including supporting teachers in the classroom, online access for teachers, students and families

They also shared about the next level of planning, which is designed to take students and staff from access and integration to transformative use of technology that enhances and supports student learning at a deeper level.

“It’s not just about the tools we use, but it’s about how we use those tools to empower our students and our staff,” Golec said.

The current Technology portion of the Capital Levy supports the district’s 1:1 device program. Committee members were asked to share their thoughts about whether the district should continue providing a device for every student in grades 6-12 or move toward a hybrid “bring your own device” model where students could bring their own laptop if a family chose to provide one, or the district would provide a laptop for students. Among considerations:

• The 1:1 model costs more, but allows for equitable access, support and security for all students with minimal disruption to instructional time.
• A hybrid “bring your own device” model would cost less, but is complex to support, has less guaranteed security, a risk of equity gaps if not managed, and has the potential to disrupt instructional time significantly due to troubleshooting a variety of devices, platforms and programs.

On a scale of 1 to five where 1 is “strongly disagree” and 5 is “strongly agree,” committee members who were present rated continuing with a 1:1 program at a 4.4; the hybrid “bring your own device” option was rated at 1.9.

Golec also shared some new initiatives that levy funding could be used to support, such as leveraging AI in Education; creating a Data Warehouse; piloting WiFi on school buses; a crisis alert safety platform; digital security testing and training; and device upgrades and modernization.

District leaders and staff are planning how best to continue to integrate AI into and across our system. “(AI) does have a huge potential for education, but it also raises some significant questions about critical thinking, environmental concerns, and media literacy, just to name a few,” Eggers said. “We don't have all of the answers, but we do know that AI has arrived and that we have a responsibility to teach students about AI, how AI works, and then also how they can leverage AI to support and enhance their learning.”

Using the same scale, committee members were asked to share which of the new initiatives were important to them. Committee members ranked the ideas at 3.9 or above, with the exception of piloting WiFi on buses, which was ranked 2.2.

 

Critical Repairs

Committee members also heard about how Critical Repairs funds are proposed to be used. These dollars are focused on addressing the most urgent facility needs to keep our schools and facilities warm, safe and dry. The staff proposal for using Critical Repairs funds does not include any dollars for new construction.

In 2024, all of our district buildings were assessed with help from third party consultants. Data from that assessment, along with results of a 2025 all-staff survey about critical needs, and feedback from our own maintenance staff were used to identify more than $100 million in needs across the district, staff said. Then, our Capital Projects and Operations teams prioritized that list and selected the highest-priority projects for the next four years. That narrowed list is estimated to cost about $55 million. The projects on the list align with the district’s Strategic Plan and also will protect safety and health, preserve building integrity, ensure learning spaces remain comfortable and functional, and demonstrate fiscal responsibility.

The projects include:

• Safety and Security:
  • Construction of security vestibules at the three comprehensive high schools (Gibson Ek already has a vestibule)
  • Replacement of aging life safety systems (fire alarm systems and intercom systems replacement)
• Roofing Improvements:
  • Many school roofs are at or beyond their expected service life, increasing the risk of leaks, structural damage and learning disruptions.
  • Full roof replacement at Maple Hills Elementary; partial replacement and repairs of some other roofs.
• Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC); and Plumbing Improvements
  • HVAC will be replaced, modernized or repaired. Upgrades to control software will allow more consistent temperatures and more efficient energy use. Increased cyber security of the HVAC software.
  • Plumbing: Replace aging/ end-of-life hot water tanks.
• Sports Field Improvements
  • Liberty, Issaquah, Skyline: replace softball infield turf and baseball infield turf. Replace softball outfield turf at Skyline.
  • Replace stadium turf at Liberty and Skyline (Issaquah High was replaced more recently).
  • Middle schools synthetic turf conditioning.
• Food Service Equipment
  • Replace aging food service equipment districtwide (at locations where needed).
  • Replaces food warmers, convection ovens, milk coolers, shelving, dishwashers, washer/dryer, salad bar, water softeners and ice machines.
• Miscellaneous Repairs such as theater lighting repairs and replacement, interior corridor wall repair where needed and more.

Using the same scale described above, committee members at the meeting rated each “category” of critical repairs. All categories rated above 4, except for the improvements to the sports fields, which rated 3.9.

The committee will reconvene at 6 p.m. on September 24 at the district Administration Building; the topic will be the Educational Programs and Operations Levy. All meetings are open to the public to observe. To learn more about the committee, visit our website.