Coupeville voters face Feb. 10 decision on school programs and technology levies

Coupeville residents will soon weigh a choice that touches classrooms, community services and local pocketbooks. On Feb. 10 voters will decide whether to renew two four-year levies for the Coupeville School District: the Educational Programs and Operation levy and the Capital Technology levy. The levies fund day-to-day operations that state dollars do not cover, and their renewal will shape school programming and local property taxes.

The Educational Programs and Operation levy pays for athletics, clubs, staffing, curriculum, social-emotional support and career and technical opportunities. The Capital Technology levy supports building repairs, maintenance, learning technology and security systems, according to the district. Unlike bonds that finance large construction projects, levies pay for classroom-level needs and personnel. Coupeville schools receive 16% of their funding from local levies, with the remainder coming from state and federal sources.

School leaders framed the levies as essential to maintaining class sizes and services that affect student well-being. Superintendent Shannon Leatherwood wrote that “Levy funding pays staff salaries and allows us to keep class sizes low. Many programs that our community has come to expect rely on levy funding.” Leatherwood also emphasized the deliberative decision-making behind the request: “The decision to ask for this increase was one that was taken very seriously by the board and district leadership. We want to ensure flexibility to bring back programs that have been cut and meet the needs of students now and into the future.”

Coupeville School Board President Morgan White described the levies as an investment in the next generation and tied school outcomes to the local economy. “While these are four-year levies, they represent a long term investment in the next generation of Coupeville students,” White wrote, noting graduates work in local restaurants, county offices, the hospital, fire department, construction trades and grocery stores and carry community values beyond the island.

Not all residents support the replacements. David Mahaffy successfully petitioned to remove the word “necessary” from the ballot title and authored the statement against the levies. “Overall, Coupeville school district spending has risen about 22% in the last five years, that’s higher than the inflation rate during the same period, which includes high inflation in the post-pandemic years,” he wrote, arguing district spending is on an unsustainable trajectory.

Local observers who follow schools and sports voiced support. Longtime sports reporter David Svien, who has covered Coupeville sports since 1990, said the levies are crucial for small schools. “Levies like this like are this hugely influential in a small town like Coupeville where we’re not getting enough. I mean, no school is getting enough from the from state, but particularly small schools desperately need this. And you see every day with our teachers and our coaches and our administrators how hard they work and how much they have to do with the limited resources that they have,” Svien told the News-Times.

The district estimates the renewals would increase property taxes by about $110 per year for a property valued at $500,000. Voters can find details at coupeville.k12.wa.us/levy and may drop ballots at the official box at 400 N Main Street, Coupeville, or at any Washington state ballot drop box. Mailed ballots must be postmarked at least seven days before Feb. 10.

For residents, the outcome will influence classroom offerings, staff retention and the town’s ability to sustain programs that support student mental health, career readiness and community services. The Feb. 10 tally will show how Coupeville balances local tax impacts with investments in schools that feed the island’s workforce and civic life.