There are programs, construction, staff and more that our community has committed to providing for students. These are expenses either NOT funded or NOT FULLY funded by state and federal dollars.

To close those funding gaps for our students, Tahoma --and all Washington state public school districts-- proposes bonds and levies to their local communities.

In simple terms, BONDS are for BUILDING and LEVIES are for LEARNING

BONDS: State and federal dollars do not fund construction and maintenance of schools, so voter-approved bond measures finance these costs. Bonds are typically financed over about 20 years and have specific requirements for how funds can be used.

Voters approved a $195M bond measure in fall 2013, which funded the construction of Tahoma High School, Lake Wilderness Elementary School, and additional building improvements at all District campuses that keep our schools warm, safe and dry.

LEVIES: Levy dollars pay for programs, staff and classroom materials like technology devices. Security staff, coaches and athletic teams, extracurricular advisors and the programs that they support like robotics and drama, are partially or fully funded by levies.

When levies are approved by voters, a tax is "levied" against property owners. The amount collected is based off a determined amount of a property owner's assessed value. (For example, Tahoma's current Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levy was passed by voters in 2020 at an estimated tax rate of $2 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The owner of a home valued at $750,000 pays an estimated $1,500 a year.) Levy spending is reviewed annually and costs are "rolled back" to taxpayers if funds go unused.

Our community approved two levies in 2020 for a 4-year collection: an Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) Levy and a Technology Capital Projects (Tech) Levy, which expire in 2024.