Op-Ed: Why Shoreline Students Need Voters to Support the 2026 Levies
Sunday, January 25, 2026
Years of state underfunding, outdated staffing models, and inflation have left schools with few options
By Malorie Larson
The Shoreline School District (SSD) Replacement EP&O Levy for 2027-2030 that will be on the ballot February 10th 2026 is asking voters to continue supporting our community’s children in our schools, in large part because the state and federal government continue to underfund public education.
Since 2021, Washington State has underfunded Shoreline School District by $136M—$6M for utilities and insurance, $22M for special education, and $107M for salaries and benefits. And that’s just for basic needs.
Even those basics fall short because the state’s staffing model is outdated, requiring unrealistically large enrollments to fund essential staff—for example, 603 students for a full-time librarian, 684 for a nurse, 1,286 for a social worker, 3,846 for a psychologist, and 5,063 for a security guard. By comparison, the average Washington elementary school has just 400–500 students.
WA State funding models are severely outdated and students are suffering the consequences. This chronic underfunding is why SSD needs the levy to pass as proposed on the February 10th ballot. Shoreline SD is already covering what the state does not in some areas and still needs to do more. Students need more support, more adults in buildings.
SSD has done the hard work before coming to voters to ask for help. They are asking for what a community member panel agreed was necessary. A vote NO (as some might suggest you do so the district could come back with a lower levy amount) will result in more staff and program loss for Shoreline and LFP students. The right thing to do is vote YES and demand better from our legislators so the burden does not continue to rest so heavily on property taxes.
SSD already spends below average both in administrative costs and student spending compared to other surrounding districts. The district continues to make staff and program reductions in attempts to avoid a negative balance and state oversight (also known as binding conditions).
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| From presentation by Dan Steele, Assist Exec Dir of WA Assoc of School Administrators Photo by Malorie Larson |
WA State funding models are severely outdated and students are suffering the consequences. This chronic underfunding is why SSD needs the levy to pass as proposed on the February 10th ballot. Shoreline SD is already covering what the state does not in some areas and still needs to do more. Students need more support, more adults in buildings.
SSD has done the hard work before coming to voters to ask for help. They are asking for what a community member panel agreed was necessary. A vote NO (as some might suggest you do so the district could come back with a lower levy amount) will result in more staff and program loss for Shoreline and LFP students. The right thing to do is vote YES and demand better from our legislators so the burden does not continue to rest so heavily on property taxes.
SSD already spends below average both in administrative costs and student spending compared to other surrounding districts. The district continues to make staff and program reductions in attempts to avoid a negative balance and state oversight (also known as binding conditions).
This has resulted in 67 position reductions that include but are not limited to: multiple administration, maintenance, groundskeeping and custodial positions, front office supports, library technicians, and drug and alcohol counselors. There is nothing left to cut but MORE staff and essential student educational and support programs.
Despite these reductions, since the 2020-2021 school year, district expenses have increased 23.13% ($160.4M vs an estimated $197.5M for ‘25-26) and costs continue to rise. All internal and external audits of Shoreline SD have all concluded that without an increase in revenue, cuts must continue to be made. There is no evidence of fund mismanagement. Regional and state agencies that routinely review and monitor the financial health of school districts have flagged SSD as concerning due to having an “average of less than 30 days’ worth of cash available for the fiscal years”.
Total enrollment may be down 1.98% from 9,261 students (October 2021) to 9,078 students (October 2025), but overall, SSD’s forecast is seeing that recent enrollment remains stable with slight growth of 0.1% for this year and projected in the years to come. Regardless of enrollment, electricity, heat, and water still need to be used and paid for. Teachers still need to be in classrooms regardless of if there are 22 or 25 students in the class.
To summarize: hard decisions have been made to get revenue in line with expenses and it is still not enough. State staffing models are inadequate and inflation has significantly affected state-mandated costs. We need to do MORE to protect the level of quality education that the Shoreline School District is known for. We need to vote YES.
Vote yes to prevent further staff cuts, larger classes, and fewer extracurriculars. Vote yes if you believe that every child, regardless of their background, deserves the opportunity for a quality education. If you support all of the above, but are frustrated that it so heavily relies on levies, I urge you to do both: lobby for better education funding by contacting your legislators and support the February 10th, 2026 replacement levies.
Despite these reductions, since the 2020-2021 school year, district expenses have increased 23.13% ($160.4M vs an estimated $197.5M for ‘25-26) and costs continue to rise. All internal and external audits of Shoreline SD have all concluded that without an increase in revenue, cuts must continue to be made. There is no evidence of fund mismanagement. Regional and state agencies that routinely review and monitor the financial health of school districts have flagged SSD as concerning due to having an “average of less than 30 days’ worth of cash available for the fiscal years”.
Total enrollment may be down 1.98% from 9,261 students (October 2021) to 9,078 students (October 2025), but overall, SSD’s forecast is seeing that recent enrollment remains stable with slight growth of 0.1% for this year and projected in the years to come. Regardless of enrollment, electricity, heat, and water still need to be used and paid for. Teachers still need to be in classrooms regardless of if there are 22 or 25 students in the class.
To summarize: hard decisions have been made to get revenue in line with expenses and it is still not enough. State staffing models are inadequate and inflation has significantly affected state-mandated costs. We need to do MORE to protect the level of quality education that the Shoreline School District is known for. We need to vote YES.
Vote yes to prevent further staff cuts, larger classes, and fewer extracurriculars. Vote yes if you believe that every child, regardless of their background, deserves the opportunity for a quality education. If you support all of the above, but are frustrated that it so heavily relies on levies, I urge you to do both: lobby for better education funding by contacting your legislators and support the February 10th, 2026 replacement levies.
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