Local

Mayor makes final push for educational initiative

SEATTLE — With pre-school and free college tuition at stake, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan today made a final push for the city's Family Education Pre-School and Promise levy. But critics say it is too much, too fast.

At a news conference today, the mayor asked voters to support Seattle Proposition 1.

"Since 1990 our city has made a commitment to our children saying we need to protect you to ensure our future," Durkan said.

The levy expands the city's pre-K, continues funding for counseling and health clinics in K-12 schools, and expands the offer of free tuition at community college for Seattle High School graduates.

That's something Seattle College student Anes Tabuni wishes he had been available to him after he graduated from high school.

Scroll down to continue reading

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP

​"It relieves the pressure of thinking about 'oh now I got to work, let me take a break from school cause I got to work first,'" said Tabuni.

Education writer Melissa Westbrook, of the Seattle Schools Forum supports the goals, but not this levy.

"I think it's too big both in scope and cost. The pre-school program for example will go from $22 million a year in spending to $53 million in spending. That's almost triple and yet they are only going to double the spaces."

Westbrook believes the levy language might let public charter schools claim some of the money.

"And then the very programs that people care about and think that they're supporting by voting for the levy will be diluted or ended," said Westbrook

The proposition combines two previous levies into one. It raises $620 million over seven years, it will add $112 a year to the property taxes on a median $600,000 Seattle house, supporters say.

But Seattle voters got hit with a 20% hike in state property taxes for education this year.

"I think the thing that people need to focus on: we have two levies going away, and so the additional increase that people will see for the average house in Seattle is about 9 bucks a month," said Durkan.