Op-Ed: More thoughts on why supporting the supplemental school levy is important

By Lisa Surowiec

I've read the comments on the previous Letters to the Editor, and can hear the frustration in some of the words. I had my own experience with school administration that angered me so much that I saw no other option than to pull my support by resigning my position with the PTA that year. Although that relationship didn’t fully recover, I still believe that a public school education is too valuable to throw away.

It can be tempting to consider private schools when your kids are clearly not getting what they need - or worse. And it then follows that you want to see the whole system defunded, abandoned, and burned to the ground. Why commit precious tax dollars to a losing effort?

Because kids (and their adults) get more than reading, math, and field trips out of attending public schools. And these things that are wonderful and beneficial for our kids also present challenges to the School District.

We have broad socio-economic diversity. Only 2 of our schools have under 20% Free & Reduced Lunch kids. A full 33% of the District is eligible for that support (up to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level).

Kids in our schools speak a whopping 81 languages. That means an environment rich in peers with lived experiences in different religions, backgrounds, family makeup, traditions, food, politics, and priorities. And for the District, that requires various kinds of support to ensure all kids reach their potential.

We have special ed, highly capable, home education resources, and our amazing alternative education program, Cascade K8. And the biggest bang for our educational buck is a strong early ed investment, and so we have that too.

It is in our best interest as a society to make sure the next generation is educated - even those of us who do not have kids do need a well-educated, functional workforce coming up behind us. Public school kids head to college, into the trades, into the military, and straight into the workforce, and it is our responsibility to ensure they have the resources to make them successful.

If you think Shoreline should spend only what's budgeted by the State, consider this. School funding is allocated according to the prototypical school model (RCW 28A.150.260). That assumes elementary schools of 400 kids (K-6), middle schools of 432 (7-8), and high schools of 600 (9-12). According to that model, we would have:

• 1 nurse shared between every 4 elementary schools
• 1.02 nurse shared by the 2 middle schools
• 1.156 nurse shared by the 2 high schools
• 1 counselor shared between every 2 elementary schools
• 2.2 counselors per middle schools
• 6.25 counselors per high school
• 1 teacher librarian shared between every 2 elementary schools
• 1.66 teacher librarians shared between the 2 middle schools
• 1.2 teacher librarians per high school

Some of those numbers get a little bit better in September 2025, but that funding does not resource our students the way they should be. (note that these numbers are approximate)

Shoreline did make some cuts (14 FTE of Family Advocates, for instance) and spends below average in Admin $ per student and Total $ per student compared to other surrounding Districts. They continue to preserve what they can while facing funding shortages.

The Future is worth our investment. Lobby for better education funding, call your legislators, and please support this Supplemental Levy on August 5.

--Lisa Surowiec