Seattle School District Proposition No. 2

Technology Levy

The Municipal League Recommends: NONE

Analysis

There is wide agreement that Seattle schoolchildren need instruction in technology to give them an even footing in the competitive job markets of tomorrow. This is especially true for the majority of students who do not have computers at home. The School District is to be saluted for its efforts to address the swiftly changing arena of technology education.

In weighing the merits of the technology levy on the February 6 ballot, the Board of the Municipal League of King County found arguments on both sides of the measure compelling and was not able to achieve the 2/3rds majority that is required to support or reject a ballot measure.

On the pro side, the League finds the District's efforts to improve its technological capabilities in step with national and local initiatives. The League also finds that the District has done a reasonable job of estimating the real costs of what it seeks to achieve. The League understands that the District does not have another source of funds to support technology, especially in light of the fact that the levy lid is changing from 32 to 28 percent.

The League further recognizes the District's need to be competitive with other public school districts throughout King County and with private schools. In order to attract and retain students, the District needs to be able to present students with the opportunities to explore the computing world.

Even more compelling than the question of the District's competitiveness is the need to provide technology to the 70 percent of District students that do not have access to computers in their homes. The League finds quite significant this issue of equity.

Finally, the League believes that Superintendent John Stanford should be supported in his primary goal of improving student achievement. The League recognizes that it is unrealistic to demand perfection before investing in the real academic needs of students in the classroom.

On the con side, the League has concerns regarding how the $75 million will be spent. Less than 11 percent of the levy would purchase computers and other technology used directly by students. Another 16 percent would provide adequate electrical power to classrooms so that existing computers can be moved from computer laboratories (and new computers added) to classrooms. This means that less than 27 percent of the total levy proceeds will be used to acquire equipment or make wiring improvements that will allow students to use CD-ROM capable computers in their classrooms.

The levy allocates 40 percent of the proceeds to equipment for wide- and local-area networks (which would create a district-wide network among all schools and administrative buildings), the installation of telephones in each District classroom, and the wiring of classrooms and administrative stations for voice, video, and data transmission. These allocations raise questions as to whether they will improve the quality of education for students significantly enough to justify their high cost. The League questions whether every classroom needs to be wired for computers or whether the computers with Internet capability could be located in computer laboratories and libraries.

The League also raises a question about the possible obsolescence of the kinds of infrastructure that the District is proposing to install, in particular the hard wiring. The methods that the District would use to replace technology that becomes obsolete are also not clear.

Finally, the League has concerns about the additional estimated $6 to $10 million that will be required each year to operate the technology installed through the levy. These costs include access to the Internet and will need to come from the District's general fund. The general fund depends on a maintenance and operation levy to provide 23 percent of the District's operating budget and the maintenance and operation levy is already at the maximum amount allowed by State law.

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