Hockinson School District Feb 2026 Levy

Hockinson voters need more than the usual glossy-brochure generalities about this levy request:

Because state school spending is at record levels. State funding has more than doubled in just over 10 years: $13.1B to $30.1B, far outstripping inflation. In 2023, 71 HSD administrators and teachers (53%) earned over $100K, while the median income in Hockinson was $88K for men, $63K for women.

Because our taxes are high and getting higher. The legislature passed the biggest tax increases in history last year, and is proposing more for 2026, including significant property tax rate hikes (HB 1334, 1870).

Because Hockinson School District has not done a good job of explaining where the money we give them goes. In 2015, for example, HSD asked voters for $10M with which to secure the elementary school entrances, upgrade the kitchen/cafeteria, and improve traffic flow. Voters approved the measure. Last April, HSD asked for $13M to secure the same entrances and fix the same traffic flow. But they never explained how the $10M had been used, or why they needed more for the same renovations.

HSD will have spent c. $80K to hold special elections in the last 12 months for bond and levy measures that could have gone on the November ballot at significantly less cost: $47K on two special elections in February and April, 2025, and c. $30-35K on this current election. Special elections cost us significantly more than general elections, with significantly lower voter turnout. If HSD  values fiscal responsibility, and wants community involvement, they need to place levy and bond measures on the November ballot.

Enough vague generalities. To enable voters to make an informed decision in the face of:

• record school funding,

• record high taxes, and

• lack of information regarding past uses of HSD funds