Four Big Financial Decisions Ahead for the Highline School Board

In June and into July, the Highline School District board will address four major financial choices. They include:

1. Operations Budget
2. Levy Collection (up to $74.5 million in 2027)
3. Capital Facilities Bond ($595 million proposed)
4. Tech Levy ($48 million proposed)

Operations Budget

Late in 2025, the district announced plans for $8 million in cuts. The board has heard regular monthly updates, plus they have a budget workshop set for June 3 at 4:45 pm. The new budget book is not yet available, but for context, in 2025-26, the operations budget is $428 million dollars. 

On June 24, at 4:15 pm, there will be a budget hearing where citizens can make comments and voice concerns. These hearings are usually held right before the first reading on the budget. Usually the draft budget is released a few days ahead of the hearing. 

Levy Money

In November 2025, voters approved a significant levy increase. The district referred to this as a ‘replacement,’ but the approved levy bumped existing amounts to keep up with rising costs. In calendar year 2025, the school district levy collection was $57.5 million; in 2026, $69.9 million was collected. In 2027, the district is authorized to collect $74.5 million. By 2030 the amount could be as high as $92.8 million.

The district could easily choose to collect the full amount. The level is based on enrollment and other factors. 

$595 Million Capital Bond

Highline Public Schools is considering a school construction bond for fall 2026. If the measure moves forward, voters would make the final decision. The bond recommendation was developed through the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC). On March 30, CFAC voted (18 yay to 3 nay) to support Highline in asking voters for $615 million dollars in a bond that would be paid off over 20 years. Later, the bond amount was adjusted to $595 million. 

Here is CFAC’s 2026 Bond Recommendation:

The 21 CFAC voters represented about half of the committee's 46 available seats. Many of the remaining members did not attend the vote, and several positions were never filled.

City representatives could attend meetings but were not allowed to vote. This included Normandy Park’s Deputy Mayor Sue Ann Hohimer, who learned shortly before the vote that she would not be eligible to participate, despite her concerns about the bond's size and taxpayer impact. Hohimer was not even allowed to comment to the group before the vote, although she had actively participated over the previous three years.

The City of Burien did not send any representatives to the committee, even though two of the major projects affect Burien schools.

As the Highline directors consider approving a record-breaking bond, the district and bond supporters will need to prepare for hard questions from the voting taxpayers, including the removal of a beloved community garden.

Growing Bond Concerns

1) Are we overbuilding?

The proposed bond would fund the rebuilding of three middle schools (Sylvester, Cascade, and Chinook). However, based on information presented to the committee, rebuilding all three schools would create middle school capacity well above current enrollment of 3347 students in the five main middle schools (data from OSPI). 

According to the district, new middle schools like Cascade will be built to accommodate 950 students, but the average Highline middle school only hosts 670 pupils. No significant population growth is expected. Does this mean we will have room for 4750 students, yet less than 3400 spaces are required?

2) Overextending credit?

Depending on future assessed property values, the size of the bond could also leave little or no borrowing capacity for additional major projects.

3) Shark Garden removal (Cascade relocation)? 

Another brewing community concern is related to the proposed relocation of the Cascade MS. Instead of keeping the school at its current site near Evergreen HS, CFAC voted to save $44 million taxpayer dollars by relocating Cascade to the Salmon Creek campus (formerly a small elementary school, later alternative school New Start), just a few blocks south. 

The Salmon Creek site is currently home to the 1.5 acre New Start/Shark Garden which boasts dozens of sponsored community relationships, vast amounts of healthy food, and is one of the few dwindling green spaces in northern Burien. Hundreds of supporters have signed a petition and responded 81% on a district survey, against turning the beloved garden into a parking lot. 

Concerns are ongoing and now the garden leadership is asking for donations and ideas for what to do next. Shark Garden is also hosting a plant sale fundraiser Saturday, May 30.

4) Why include three middle schools, instead of two?

CFAC had options. It could have chosen a smaller bond amount to give taxpayers an easier choice to vote YES. Chinook MS could have waited for the next bond. Cascade MS could have stayed on the existing site. The CFAC consensus was based more on Equity and trying to beat rising costs, and less on concerns about taxpayer overload.

Running a bond and deciding what to include is a big decision. Will Highline’s student population stay steady? Will voters pay significantly more for a bond and then also keep approving higher operating levies? These are big questions.

$48 Million Tech Levy

The proposed tech levy would cost $12 million per year for four years, for a total of $48 million. The full amount would be collected each calendar year; this is not a bond where the money is paid back over time. There is not yet a list of how the $12 million, which works out to about $680 for each K12 student per year, would be spent. Past tech levies have paid for a mix of software such as i-Ready, which we recently wrote about, district level technology and devices, school-level equipment and devices, and electronic white boards. 

Based on similar tech levies passing in other school districts, the administration is confident that Highline’s will also pass. Less certain is whether both a record-breaking bond AND a new tech levy will pass on the same ballot.

The district may benefit from the fact that the 2027 levy bump has yet to impact taxpayers.

Opportunities for Engagement

As mentioned, there will be opportunities for citizens to comment at regular school board meetings and at the budget hearing on June 24, just before the first reading. 

Several of these topics will be presented at the Highline School Board June 3 budget work session, followed by the regular board meeting.

We’ll keep readers posted about hearings for the capital facilities bond and tech levy.