Seattle School District Proposition No. 2

Technology Levy

Arguments Against

Opponents cite five principal arguments against the Seattle School District's proposed $75 million technology levy.

Lack of accountability. The main argument is that difficulties in managing other capital levies have caused the District to lose credibility about its capacity for administering this levy. For example, opponents argue that the District failed to buy and install new technology equipment in all 100 of its schools simultaneously under the 1991 levy. With respect to the 1995 construction levy, a number of facts support conclusions that the District's capital needs were not well estimated and are not being well implemented.

Too expensive. Second, it can be argued that the proposed second phase of the District's technology program is too ambitious and too expensive. The District justifies the levy partly on a desire to "lessen the gap" or to achieve "parity" between its technology and that of local suburban school districts. Its 1991 technology levy has reduced the computer-to-student ratio from 1:38 to 1:8. The proposed levy will further reduce the ratio only to 1:5. The majority of funds in the new levy are allocated not to reducing the computer-to-student ratio, but on wiring for local- and wide-area networks and a "state-of-the-art" district-wide network for administrative information.

Arguably, technological "parity" directly affecting the District's students can be achieved with a substantially reduced proposal and at a substantially lower cost to taxpayers.

Other priorities. A third opposition argument is that over 57 percent ($42,900,000) of the proposed levy proceeds will be used to wire buildings that are also in need of substantial repair and maintenance. The District estimates that it has over $200 million of deferred maintenance on its existing buildings, including repairs to roofs and boilers. In addition, there has been talk of closing 20 to 25 school buildings in a worst-case scenario if funding for schools does not improve.

The extent of deferred maintenance and uncertainty with respect to building closures suggests the technology levy should not be the highest priority of the District or its taxpayers.

Questionable educational impact. Fourth, conclusive data documenting the educational impact of computer technology on overall academic performance is not readily available and the Seattle School District has no targets against which it can measure the educational outcomes of either its 1991 technology levy or this year's technology measure. With the 1991 levy, each school determined how to spend its share of the proceeds and each school was responsible for evaluating its progress. A similar plan is intended to be used by the District for the proposed $75 million levy.

High operating costs. Finally, acquisition and installation of the technology improvements through the proposed levy is estimated to create additional operational costs of $6 to $10 million annually, to be paid out of the general fund. Given current demands on the District's general fund and its history of levying at the statutory maximum for maintenance and operation, opponents say it is unwise to impose additional burdens on the general fund.

Analysis

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