Wednesday, Hollingsworth introduced a series of proposed amendments and cutbacks to the levy implementation plan, prioritizing food security for public school students as the council president said the city might need to prepare for rapid fallout from challenges to the state’s new Millionaire’s Tax. Hollingsworth said a more conservative approach to spending would give the city time to see if the state-level tax base survives the courts and the ballot box.
Under the package of proposed changes, a proposal co-sponsored with Councilmember Dionne Foster would temporarily pause the rollout of a preschool voucher pilot championed by Wilson. By shifting the pilot’s first year into a planning phase, the proposed modification would redirect an additional $927,710 to food assistance administered by school personnel.
Hollingsworth is also seeking to reallocate millions in funding toward weekend and school break food vouchers with an amendment to postpone implementation of a new Universal School Meals Program until the 2027–2028 school year, freeing up $3 million for targeted holiday and weekend food vouchers for low-income families.
CHS reported here on the implementation and spending plan being shaped by the council including the proposed Seattle Preschool Program voucher pilot, expanding mentorship programs for justice-involved youth, and launching the universal school meals program at 53 public schools.
According to a council analysis, officials have raised concerns regarding the financial risk of drawing down reserve funds for the proposed meal program and a lack of explicit targets to close equity gaps. Wednesday, Hollingsworth said her amendments were a response to those concerns and, she hoped, the start of “really intentional conversation about equity.”
Hollingsworth has long advocated for food equity as she worked in her family’s cannabis farming business. CHS reported here in 2025 on her work shaping the city’s $30 million Food Action Plan.
The full slate of proposed amendments is below. The council committee is planned for a final vote on the bill on July 22nd.
Proposed Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy Amendments
- Amendment 1
Sponsor: Councilmember Rivera
Description: Directs the formation of an Interdepartmental Team (IDT) including DEEL, HSD, OSE, and SPR that will meet quarterly. The IDT’s purpose is to ensure tight coordination, cross-departmental collaboration, and strict alignment with Levy requirements regarding program goals, request for proposals (RFPs), evaluations, budgets, and modifications. - Amendment 2
Sponsor: Councilmember Rinck
Description: This amendment embeds explicit equity benchmarks across the levy’s framework by adding defined strategy goals to all three investment domains (Ready to Start, Ready to Learn, and Ready to Launch). It establishes that a core measure of the levy’s success is explicitly closing opportunity gaps for those populations furthest from kindergarten readiness, grade-level standards, and post-secondary credential completion. - Amendment 3
Sponsor: Councilmember Lin
Description: Mandates that DEEL report annually to the Levy Oversight Committee regarding the Seattle Preschool Program’s (SPP) mixed-delivery placement rates, recruitment activities, demographics, and administrative barriers for family childcare (FCC) providers. It also requires that the Oversight Committee include representation with experience in family childcare to enhance programmatic oversight. - Amendment 4
Sponsor: Councilmembers Foster and Hollingsworth
Description: Pauses the implementation of the SPP Waitlist Voucher Pilot program during the 2026–2027 school year for further planning, shifting its rollout to 2027–2028. Requires DEEL to submit a demographic assessment of waitlist trends to the Council prior to fund disbursement. Redirects the $927,710 originally designated for the pilot’s first year to fund food assistance for low-income K-12 students over weekends and school breaks. - Amendment 5
Sponsor: Councilmember Rivera
Description: Directs the Director of DEEL to collaborate with and consider feedback from both the Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the leadership of Seattle charter schools when designing K-12 educational investments, particularly regarding Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO). - Amendment 6
Sponsor: Councilmembers Hollingsworth and Foster
Description: Delays the implementation of the Universal School Meals Program until the 2027–2028 school year to assess its long-term viability amid legal and tax challenges, freeing up $3,000,000. It reallocates $500,000 annually over the 6-year levy period to fund a food voucher program distributed by school personnel to low-income families over weekends and school breaks. - Amendment 7
Sponsor: Councilmember Rinck
Description: Updates the program implementation standards for Youth Safety investments by allowing Restorative Practices Coordinators stationed in elementary schools to work part-time, while preserving the 1.0 FTE full-time status requirement for coordinators at other school levels. - Amendment 8
Sponsor: Councilmember Rinck
Description: Requires DEEL and HSD to submit a comprehensive framework report to City Council after the 2026–2027 school year outlining systems-level coordination for all city-funded school safety efforts. Presenting this report is a strict condition for future funding, competitive bidding, or contract renewals within Restorative Practices, Opportunity-Based Mentoring, and HSD School-Based Safety programs. - Amendment 9
Sponsor: Councilmember Hollingsworth
Description: Adds “exposure” to the approved list of college and career readiness activities under the Enrichment Supports for Expanded Learning Opportunities strategy. This adjustment explicitly clarifies that levy funds can be deployed for programming that exposes K-12 students to diverse collegiate and career paths. - Amendment 10
Sponsor: Councilmember Hollingsworth
Description: Inserts a explicit directive into the Path to Trades Expansion program framework at Seattle Colleges, mandating that career exposure and exploration events organized for public high school students and their families must be structured to be culturally relevant. - Amendment 11
Sponsor: Councilmember Rinck
Description: Introduces an enrollment prioritization within the Seattle Promise Pathway Programs to support high-demand pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship paths leading directly to careers with the City of Seattle. Funded provisions include dedicated career counseling, labor union engagement, and an additional one-time scholarship of up to $1,500 to assist registered apprentices with the cost of required tools and professional supplies.
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