Districts face penalty if they don't follow rules for levies
OLYMPIA — A last-minute move by lawmakers to ensure school districts spend local levies properly by potentially punishing those that don’t isn’t sitting well with a few leaders of public schools in Snohomish and King counties.
And they are looking to Gov. Jay Inslee for help.
At issue is a single sentence in a bill to raise the cap on how much districts can collect from voter-approved property tax levies.
Superintendents and school board directors around the state applauded passage of Senate Bill 5313 because it will provide additional resources for their districts.
But when they read a line in the final section of the bill, their smiles disappeared.
It laid out a means for the state schools superintendent to reduce the amount a district can collect in levies if an audit finds the district had spent some of its local property tax revenues on basic education rather than enrichment programs as required by law.
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/districts-face-penalty-if-they-dont-follow-rules-for-levies/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=0da9c9574e-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-0da9c9574e-228635337
