Through a laser focus on affordable local property tax revenue, SEE joined efforts to ensure a stable funding source for school districts to maintain their buildings. Without a dedicated, equalized funding stream to help all districts maintain their facilities, districts were often forced to forego the implementation of instructional improvements at the expense of vital building maintenance. Schools should not have to take money out of the classroom to pay for building maintenance.

Previously, only the 20 largest school districts could develop a 10-year maintenance plan and levy to maintain the buildings the voters approved in school bond elections.

At the end of the legislative session, all school districts had access to the new long-term facilities maintenance (LTFM) program. In addition, the equalization aid was linked to inflation for the first time, ensuring LTFM levies remain affordable for taxpayers in low-property wealth school districts.

• SEE Executive Director Brad Lundell collaborated with other education organizations to make maintenance levy authority for all school districts the top priority during the 2015 legislative session.
• Lundell insisted affordable levies for low-property wealth districts, through equalization aid, must be part of the final legislative agreement and lobbied legislators on this issue.
• At SEE hosted Capitol visits, SEE Communications Director Deb Griffiths asked their local legislators to strongly support maintenance levies for their schools and equalization aid to keep the levies affordable in their residential communities.
• SEE sent several action alerts to SEE superintendents and school board members and a growing network of hundreds of active education advocates, including parents, business owners, and community members.