MUKILTEO SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 6 - Proposition No. 1 · Snohomish County

Labels are based on a detector's reading of the text and are not a claim about the author.

The statements in this pamphlet are printed exactly as submitted. No spelling, grammatical, or other corrections have been made.

Hide highlighting appears humanappears AI-editedappears AI

Statement For · Judith M. Schwab, Nhi Pham, and Angela Gottula

statement likely human

Committee: Judith M. Schwab, Nhi Pham, and Angela Gottula

Every student deserves a school that is safe and built for today’s learning. Proposition 1 addresses aging facilities, critical infrastructure and safety improvements while carefully targeting taxpayer dollars on priority projects. Many of our schools were built before the Vietnam War and are showing their age. Careful maintenance has helped these buildings serve our community for decades, but much of the infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life. As equipment wears out and fails, repairs become more extensive and costly. Recently, an emergency pipe repair required closing part of a school and digging a trench through the hallway floor. At another school, the original fire and life safety system failed, requiring an unexpected $1.5 million replacement to keep school open. Roofs, HVAC, pipes and other essentials are things most people never see, but every school depends on them. This bond replaces worn-out infrastructure before emergencies force our hand, protecting our community’s greatest assets and avoiding higher costs and disruptions down the road. Major school construction and improvements like these require local voter-approved funding. Proposition 1 would fund this work making our district eligible for an additional $30 million in state funding “match.” If it fails, that money stays out of reach while projects become more expensive and existing problems worsen. This bond was developed with community input and a commitment to fiscal responsibility. We inherited these schools from people who chose to invest in our students. Now it’s our turn. Vote yes for the Mukilteo School District bond.

Rebuttal of argument against

This bond keeps students safe. The district is seeking it because students can’t wait. If it fails, schools keep aging, costs keep rising, and the district loses $30 million in state matching funds. A bond locks in costs today instead of letting them climb. It costs the average homeowner about $11 a month, including interest. Seniors and people with disabilities can file for a tax exemption. Vote yes.

Statement Against · Howard Damoff

statement appears human

Committee: Howard Damoff

This exact proposition to take on additional debt already failed in February 2026. School spending is outpacing inflation, while enrollment has declined and is expected to remain relatively flat. Mukilteo’s per-pupil spending is among the nation’s highest. This levy, on top of other recently passed levies, would further burden taxpayers. Seniors on fixed incomes are struggling with tax increases, and higher taxes make housing less affordable for young families. Since 2014, new bonds issued every 2–4 years have added $18.5M/year in additional debt. This $400M proposition would accelerate that trendline. We should pay down debt, not add to it. We’re already paying $9.6M this year in interest on bonds issued from 2016 to 2024, totaling $320.3M. Interest on an additional $400M would average approximately $10–15M annually (more than $150M total)–money leaving our community to pay institutional investors. Bond tax rates may appear lower because principal and interest are paid over a longer term, but paying interest always costs more and sends money out of the community. The $62.3M in interest paid since 2016 could have covered the Serene Lake Elementary reconstruction. A better alternative is to use interest-free capital-project levies to accumulate funds over multiple years. Strategically managed rolling 6-year project levies would eliminate debt and interest payments, provide stable tax rates, and be equally eligible for state matching funds. Everyone wants to help kids, but taxpayers are overburdened. Big winners–global institutional investors. Big losers–local taxpayers. Please vote No.

Rebuttal of argument for

Replacing four schools at once is too much. Enrollment has dropped. An additional $400M in debt is excessive. Instead, critical repairs and improvements can be prioritized without full school replacements. The state-matching $30M will be wiped out by just 3 years of interest. Capital project levies can also be matched and avoid interest, making all state-matching funds actually go to projects. Stop the bond debt spiral. Establish fiscally responsible and stable year-to-year funding. Vote No.