Capital Levy Report to the Community
Summary: Your Tax Dollars at Work: Capital levies are the main source of funding for school construction and building improvements, as well as technology!
Report on Recent Education Levies
Your tax dollars are supporting Seattle students
Seattle Public Schools (SPS) relies on local, voter-approved levies to help pay for day-to-day operations, and to fund building construction, repairs, renovations, and the technology equipment, services, and support not funded by the state.
Our district has a long history of support from the community to help fund our schools with operational and capital levies. Two of these levies expire in 2025, and replacement levies will be on the February 11, 2025, ballot.
We want to share how Seattle Public Schools is spending funds previously approved by Seattle voters to support academic excellence for all students.
Thank you, Seattle! You continue to make a difference for our students.
Delivering on Our Promises
Our education levies are a promise to the community. This report shows how SPS is delivering on the promises made when voters approved recent levies.
2022 Educational Programs and Operations Levy
- Levy amount: $646.8 million over three years
- Levy funds collected: 2023-2025
- Expires: 2025 and a renewal is on the Feb. 11, 2025, ballot
This levy provides the second largest source of the district’s annual general fund operating budget after state funding. It pays for educational programs and student supports not fully funded by the state.
2019 Building Excellence V Capital Levy (BEX V)
- Levy amount: $1.4 billion over six years
- Levy funds collected: 2020–2025
- Expires: 2025 and a renewal is on the Feb. 11, 2025, ballot
As we continue into the last year of BEX V funding, all major projects are either complete or under construction with Rainier Beach High School opening Spring 2025, John Rogers and Montlake elementary Schools, and Asa Mercer International Middle School opening Fall 2025, and Alki Elementary School opening Fall 2026. While BEX V projects may continue past 2025, no additional revenue will comes in from the levy.
2022 Buildings, Technology, and Academics/Athletics V Capital Levy (BTA V)
- Levy amount: $783 million over six years
- Levy funds collected: 2023-2028
- Expires: 2028
Funding through BTA V capital levy first became available April 2023 with many projects currently under design or in permitting with construction scheduled to begin summer 2025, including the Memorial Stadium replacement project. Again, while BTA V capital levy projects may be scheduled after 2028, no additional revenue will come in from that levy.
2019 Building Excellence V Capital Levy (BEX V)
Promised: BEX V Major School Construction Projects
Alki Elementary School Addition and Modernization
- Construction in progress
- Opens: September 2026
The existing Alki Elementary School was demolished with the exception of the gymnasium. A new administration, classroom, commons and library addition is being constructed, and the existing gymnasium is being modernized.
The design of the school turns the entry to face the Alki Park and the boulevard. Students, staff, and families will be welcomed into an inviting building planned to support academic success for all students.
Visitors will enter through a secure main entrance that guides them into the administration office to check in with the office staff prior to entering the school. School grounds will be surrounded by a fence, and all exterior doors will be locked during the school day enhancing student safety.
The new building is being constructed using engineered wood known as Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). This material was selected to lower the district’s carbon footprint and reduce greenhouse gas. CLT materials use sustainably harvested wood products. The new addition and modernized gymnasium have been designed to meet the district’s goals for clean energy and renewable resources and includes installation of a 100kW solar array, a highly efficient geothermal heating and cooling system, daylight in all classrooms, and onsite stormwater management.
Asa Mercer International Middle School Replacement
- Construction in progress
- Opens: September 2025
The new one- to three-story school replaces the former school and will provide a welcoming and equitable learning environment for up to 1,000 middle school students. An accessible entrance will welcome students, families, and the community — providing visibility and grounding the school in the neighborhood.
Classrooms are grouped into academic neighborhoods, with flexible support spaces throughout to create a sense of community and ensure academic success for all students. The campus will include outdoor learning spaces and a natural turf practice field.
Like all new SPS school buildings, Asa Mercer International Middle School is designed to meet district environmental goals.
- The new school will not use any fossil fuels.
- The school will open with a 100-kW solar array and is built to allow for future solar panel installation to further reduce energy usage.
- Geothermal wells have been drilled to allow the temperature of the ground to support heating and cooling of the building.
- Windows and skylights will let natural light into all classroom areas.
- Rainwater runoff will be managed on site with underground storage and rain gardens containing native plants.
Building materials include engineered wood known as Cross Laminated Timber (CLT). These materials were selected to lower the district’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. CLT materials use sustainably harvested wood products (a renewable resource).
Cascade Parent Partnership at North Queen Anne
- Complete
- Opened: September 2023
The North Queen Anne School built in 1906 underwent upgrades to better meet the needs of Cascade Parent Partnership educational program.
Work within the school included seismic upgrades for earthquake safety, expansion of the fire sprinklers and fire alarm system to cover the whole building, heating and ventilation system replacement, and electrical system upgrades. Interior floors, ceilings, and casework were replaced.
Existing program spaces were reconfigured and upgraded. Exterior doors were added to the arts classroom and science classroom to provide access to outdoor areas for classroom projects. The school administration area is now next to the main entrance, to provide visibility to the entrance and parking lot. The commons/lunchroom space has moveable glass walls that can open to the corridor — providing both natural light and the ability to enlarge the space for school gatherings. A new playground was also installed.
Awards
- Outstanding Renovation Award — Queen Anne Historical Society (QAHS)
James Baldwin Elementary School Replacement (formerly Northgate Elementary School)
- Complete
- Opened with new name: September 2023
In September 2023, James Baldwin Elementary School students and staff began the new school year in a welcoming, safe school designed to help students thrive. To plan the school, the design team partnered with school staff, parents, and other community members to ensure it met the needs of the school and local community, including students who did not have permanent homes.
Each learning cluster includes classrooms, group learning spaces, and smaller pull-out spaces for focused instruction. Within classrooms and scattered throughout the school seating nooks offer child-size spaces for retreat and calming. Single-occupant restrooms provide student privacy while allowing site lines to monitor common handwashing stations.
A family engagement room provides resources and tools to help family goals, as well as a space to meet and gather.
Like all new SPS schools, James Baldwin Elementary School is built to forward the Seattle School Board’s goals for sustainability.
- Geothermal wells connected to a highly efficient heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) system to use the temperature of the earth to provide comfortable temperatures throughout the year.
- The ventilation system uses 100% outside air and recovers heat from the air before it leaves the building.
- The roof is designed to accept solar panels in the future.
- Onsite stormwater management collects rainwater runoff in raingardens planted with native plants.
Clean energy projects at James Baldwin Elementary School made it one of three school projects that brought SPS nearly $8 million in rebates through the federal Inflation Reduction Act.
Awards:
- 2024 James D. MacConnell Award recipient by the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE)
- 2024 AIA Washington Council Civic Design – Merit Award
James Madison Middle School Classroom Addition
- Complete
- Opened: September 2022
- Included funding from a state Distressed Schools Grant
A new 12,500 square-foot, two-story addition on the north side of the school includes six general classrooms, two science classrooms, and learning support spaces. All classrooms have large windows to allow natural light into the rooms. Building the classroom addition eliminated the need for four on-site portable classrooms and enhanced safety and security for the school.
John Rogers Elementary School Replacement
- Construction in progress
- Opens: September 2025
The new 2- and 3-story building will provide equitable, welcoming learning space for up to 500 K-5 students. A School Design Advisory Team (SDAT), which included school leaders, parents, and other community members, helped ensure that the school meets the needs of John Rogers students and the local community.
The newly terraced site will meet the needs of the academic program and enhance connections to nature, outdoor learning and play. A new network of pathways and street access will connect the neighborhood to the school during non-school hours. A new natural turf field includes a drainage system to protect Thornton Creek which runs past the southwest side of the campus.
John Rogers is designed to be the district’s first Net-Zero Energy building and will include:
- Geothermal wells connected to the HVAC system to use energy from the ground for heating and cooling
- Solar panels to use energy from the sun
- Daylight in all classrooms and learning spaces to reduce the needs for electric lighting
Kimball Elementary School Replacement
- Complete
- Opened: September 2023
The new Kimball Elementary School building provides a welcoming, safe school designed to help up to 650 students thrive. Grade-level learning clusters include classrooms, learning commons, and smaller pull-out spaces for focused instruction. Open site lines and doors between classrooms preserve the collaborative traditions of the former open-concept building.
The building was designed to preserve many of the existing trees, which makes the school feel connected to the site and neighborhood. Color choices reflect natural elements. Outdoor areas include a hillside deck, a school garden, outdoor learning spaces, and multiple play spaces. Onsite stormwater management directs rainwater into gardens planted with native plants, allowing additional learning opportunities while reducing pollutants in the runoff.
Inside, the daylight-filled library sits at the heart of the school and provides expansive views to the east and southeast. A family engagement room offers comfortable gathering and meeting space with resources and tools to help support family goals. Throughout the school, single-occupant restrooms provide student privacy, while being easy to monitor.
Like all new SPS schools, sustainability is built into the new Kimball Elementary School with geothermal heating and cooling, a highly efficient ventilation system that uses 100% outside air, and a roof designed to accept solar panels in the future.
Clean energy projects at Kimball Elementary School made it one of three school projects that brought SPS nearly $8 million in rebates through the federal Inflation Reduction Act.
Leschi Elementary School Classroom Addition
- Complete
- Opened: September 2022
- Included funding from a state Distressed Schools Grant
The two-story four-classroom new addition at the north end of the school ties into and blends in with the existing masonry school building. Creating this additional educational space allowed preschool to return to the school. Changes to the administration area and main entrance created a secure entry vestibule that directs visitors into the office area to enhance school safety. In addition, the fire alarm system was replaced.
Lincoln High School Phase 2
- Complete
- Opened: Spring 2023
This project furthered the reopening of Lincoln High School and included voluntary seismic, envelope, and accessibility improvements to the east buildings on the campus, which were added in 1959. It included improvements to the gymnasium, performing arts center/auditorium, and the Career & Technical Education classrooms.
Montlake Elementary Modernization and Addition
- Construction in progress
- Opens: September 2025
Renovation of the two-story landmarked brick building and construction of a new three-story addition is underway. A new accessible entry plaza on the northeast side of the school will welcome students, families, and the community.
The expanded school adds more classrooms and space for art, music, and physical education. Classrooms will be arranged with a variety of shared spaces to support academic success for all students. Windows and skylights let natural light into all classroom areas.
New outdoor learning spaces will be on the south side of the landmarked building. The play courtyard will connect to the new lunchroom. A learning and play terrace will be outside of the second-floor classrooms, and on the roof of the gymnasium, there will be a playfield for kickball and soccer.
Like all new SPS buildings, no fossil fuels will be used. The project when complete includes a 100-kW solar array. All rainwater runoff is managed onsite with underground storage and raingardens containing native plants.
Rainier Beach High School Replacement
This five-phase project includes replacement of the existing building and is expected to be complete late October 2026.
Complete
- Phase 1: Geothermal well installation and Phase 2: Demolition of a portion of existing building and minor interior revisions
Under construction
- Phase 3: Administration, commons, classrooms, library, and gymnasium building: Opens spring 2025
Scheduled
- Phase 4: Performing Arts Center and Phase 5: Athletic Fields scheduled to begin in May of 2025.
Design of the new Rainier Beach High School has been influenced by significant involvement of stakeholders from the school, the community, and Seattle Public Schools. The School Design Advisory Team (SDAT), which included students, staff, administrators, and community, provided ongoing input and feedback to the design team.
The athletic complex and the performing arts center anchor the building to the site. The four-story central building holds academic and communal spaces while providing a bridge between athletics and the arts. The academic spaces will be on the upper floors with public spaces below. An atrium provides daylight into all four floors.
On the south-side exterior, a brise soleil or solar shade helps reduce the amount of sun coming into classrooms during the warmest weather and helps direct daylight into the spaces when the sun is lower in the sky.
Sustainability is key to the design of the new school. Every aspect is designed with a goal of reaching the LEED Platinum threshold, which will make Rainier Beach High School one of the most sustainable buildings in the city and region. Features include:
- Geothermal wells to use the temperature of the earth to control the temperature of the school
- Highly efficient heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) systems
- Solar power panels on the brise soleil and roof
- Rainwater filtering through onsite bio-retention features and rain gardens
- Quality daylight in all student spaces
- Sustainable materials and low-emitting products used throughout the building
- Covered bicycle parking
Van Asselt School Addition and Modernization of Historic Van Asselt School
- Status: Complete
- Opened: September 2023
Van Asselt School is used as an interim site for central and southeast Seattle schools. Schools occupy the site as their temporary home during replacement or renovation of their permanent school building. Expanding the Van Asselt campus provides more capacity and flexibility to house up to 1,000 students. A new classroom and gymnasium addition were added to the original 1906 Van Asselt School. The landmark schoolhouse also underwent renovations. The project provides 30 additional classrooms on the campus. The 1950s-era, one-story school building remains on the campus as well.
The two-story school addition includes 26 new classrooms, a new gymnasium, and the support and collaboration spaces that students need for academic success. The space provides opportunities for schools to customize their environment and showcase their school spirit in their temporary home. The addition is carefully designed to honor the original 1909 building and connect seamlessly with the four existing renovated classrooms.
The building addition was constructed using engineered wood known as Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) for the floor panels and roof panels. These materials help reduced greenhouse gas emissions. CLT materials use sustainably harvested wood products (a renewable resource).
Features to reduce energy use:
- Highly efficient ventilation that recovers heat before air leaves the building
- Highly insulated walls and roofs
- Energy-efficient LED lighting
Other sustainable design strategies:
- Native and drought-resistant plantings
- Demolition and construction debris sorted and recycled
- Shielded site lighting to reduce light pollution
- Roof designed to accommodate future solar panels
- Storm water management with rain gardens
Viewlands Elementary School Replacement
- Status: Complete
- Opened September 2023
The new Viewlands Elementary School resulted from a design process that included school leadership, parents, and community members providing insight to the design team. The resulting building is infused with natural light and outdoor learning opportunities. It is thoughtfully designed to recognized its unique location adjoining Carkeek Park, including installation of special windows to reduce the risk to birds as the school is located on a migratory flight pattern.
- Grade-level learning clusters include classrooms, learning commons, and small group spaces for focused instruction.
- A family engagement room provides a comfortable gathering and meeting space with resources and tools to help support family goals.
- Student restrooms are all single occupant toilet rooms.
- The library, gymnasium, dining commons, and outdoor learning areas are designed to meet the varying needs of the school community, both now and in the future.
- A new field, covered play area, and playground offer active spaces for recess and gym classes
Viewlands Elementary School relies on geothermal wells connected to a highly efficient heating, ventilation, and cooling system (HVAC) to use the temperature of the earth to keep learning spaces comfortable throughout the year. The ventilation system uses 100% outside air, and 90% of the heat is recovered before the air is vented to the outside, reducing heating needs. The roof was designed to accept solar panels in the future.
Clean energy projects at Viewlands Elementary School made it one of three school projects that brought SPS nearly $8 million in rebates through the federal Inflation Reduction Act.
West Seattle Elementary School Classroom Addition and Modernization
- Status: Complete
- Opened: September 2023
- Included funding from a state Distressed Schools Grant
A new 2-story addition provides 12 new classrooms, learning commons, and small group spaces to better support students’ academic needs. Existing classrooms were updated with new technology, new finishes, and new furniture. A new entry canopy provides a sense of place, clearly designating the school entrance.
By reconfiguring spaces in the existing building, the administration office is now located next to a secure entry, which directs visitors into the office before they can enter the school. Reading takes center stage with a new full-size library added above the new entrance. Mechanical systems were upgraded throughout the school.
Site improvements provide better pedestrian access and new play areas/fields, as well as a new bicycle garden.
West Woodland Elementary School Classroom and Gymnasium Addition and Modernization
- Status: Complete
- Opened: September 2021
- Included funding from a state Distressed School Grant
This completed project included construction of a new, approximately 28,000-square-foot-addition and remodeled approximately 7,700 square feet of the existing building to provide 12 new classrooms, an expanded gymnasium, commons, and associated support and infrastructure spaces. The remainder of the existing school building received interior finish upgrades and improvements to technology and communication infrastructure. Site work included improved landscaping and play areas. The loading dock was moved, and a 7-stall parking lot for staff was added.
Promised: BEX V School Safety and Security* Improvements
*School names not listed for security improvements
Promised: BEX V School Building Systems Upgrades and Improvements
Elementary (A-L)
Elementary (M-Z)
K-8 Schools
Middle Schools
High Schools
Other Facilities
Promised: BEX V Technology Infrastructure Projects
Core technology to run and secure connectivity and applications
Promised: BEX V District Technology Systems and Data Projects
Business, student, human resources, operations, communications, and data systems
Promised: BEX V Student Learning Technology
Hardware, software, and services to directly support instruction and student learning
2022 Buildings, Technology, and Academics/Athletics V Capital Levy (BTA V)
The following information provides an update on projects by main category, then by school.
Promised: BTA V School Building Capacity and Condition Improvement Projects
Early Learning addition at John Muir Elementary School
- Construction in progress
- 2025: Opens September 2025
Work is in progress to build a new four-classroom early learning addition on the northeast corner of John Muir Elementary. Expanding pre-kindergarten opportunities will better position students for reading by 3rd grade, supporting Seattle Public Schools Strategic Plan goals.
The addition will include:
- Early Learning classrooms
- Spaces for before-school and after-school childcare
- Early learning support spaces
- A new outdoor play area with age-appropriate play equipment
Grandstand replacement and other improvements at Memorial Stadium
- In design
- 2025: Expected construction start
Expanded design in progress in partnership with City of Seattle and private partner.
For more information, visit the Memorial Stadium Construction Project
Promised: BTA V School Safety and Security Upgrades
In progress
Promised: BTA V School Building System Improvements
Elementary (A-J)
Elementary (L-Z)
K-8 Schools
Middle Schools
High Schools
Other Facilities
Promised: BTA V Technology Infrastructure Projects
Maintain and upgrade data center and cloud systems with improvements to the district’s data security and access systems; support school internet connectivity and wireless access to meet higher demands; maintain the computer replacement program.
Promised: BTA V District Systems and Data Projects
Improve districtwide student and business systems which support all schools and central office with services such as payroll, purchasing, human resources, finances, budgeting, transportation, health, nutrition, Special Education, scheduling, attendance, managing instruction, grade reporting, and parent communication. Advance Digital Transformation to improve processes, communication, collaboration, compliance, governance, systems integration, and use data-driven decision making to improve results.
Promised: BTA V Student Learning Technology Projects
Maintain, upgrade, and expand classroom, student, and staff technology and resources to provide support across schools as well as technology and professional learning specifically to support school improvement, district programs, and special needs.
