A Tuesday morning committee meeting is dedicated to the proposed spending plan.
Approved by voters last November, the levy supplements educational support services to help local children and youth succeed.
The plan approve by voters included $235 million for school safety described as supporting existing school health centers and “expanded safety investments in and around schools” in summaries.
The spending proposal organizes funding into four categories: early childhood education (“Ready to Start”), K-12 health and safety (“Ready to Learn”), college and career readiness (“Ready to Launch”), and administration.
Updates to the plan would increase City Council oversight, requiring legislative approval for major policy changes and underspend allocations. Notable initiatives include establishing a Seattle Preschool Program voucher pilot, expanding mentorship programs for justice-involved youth, and launching a universal school meals program at 53 public schools.
According to the council’s analysis, officials have raised concerns regarding the financial risk of drawing down reserve funds for the meal program and a lack of explicit targets to close equity gaps.
Council members must submit proposed amendments this week.
The 2025 approval was the latest renewal in a levy that stretches back to the first seven-year, $69.2 million Families and Education Levy approved in November 1990. A $619 million update was passed by voters in 2018. The latest approval created a $1.3 billion program over six years funded by a tax of $0.61 per $1,000 assessed value on property in the city.
Seattle voters will be asked to approve the latest proposed tax increase in the city later this year as Mayor Katie Wilson is proposing an increase of 0.15 percentage points on the city’s sales tax to continue and expand Seattle Transportation Benefit District spending on service on the city’s most important transit routes.
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