Vote YES on November 5 for Arlington students!

Prop. 1: Renewal of Expiring Educational Programs and Operations Levy, which continues funding for staff, nurses, mental health supports, athletics and arts for students.

The six-year capital levy will:

• Replace Post Middle School and improve traffic flow onto the Post/Eagle Creek/Stillaguamish Valley Learning Center campus. 
  • The new school will be safe and secure, meeting today’s learning standards. The building will be earthquake resistant, have interior hallways for security, have larger classrooms to support Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) education, have a fire sprinkler system.
• Maximize state dollars. 
  • The Washington State Legislature made changes to state funding for school construction in the 2024 session. This means that instead of $5 million from the state offered in the past, our district will have $25 million for the project if the levy is passed. That cost savings is reflected in the tax rate.
• Create a shorter payment duration for taxpayers. 
  • A majority of Arlington voters have voted in favor of a Post Middle School bond five times during past elections, but we haven’t met the 60 percent threshold needed for bond passage. Capital levies only require a simple majority and have a much shorter duration compared to a bond – six years versus 20. While this means it would take longer to complete the project because we don’t receive funding up front like a bond, it means less interest costs and costs less for taxpayers. 

Did you know?

• Post Middle School is one mechanical break away from forcing kids to double shift classes at Haller Lake MS, which is not sustainable.
• Replacing Post MS – rather than remodeling or repairing - is the most cost-effective way to make sure our students have a safe and healthy school building. There is asbestos throughout the building.
• Issues with Post MS include:
  • Open campus that cannot be secured, classroom doors open right to the outside. No way to lock down the school in the event of an emergency.
  • School design with minimum indoor hallways means student lockers are outside in an area that often floods. 
  • Poor air quality and inconsistent heat. The 24 heat pumps that serve Post MS are more than 40 years old. They produce carbon dioxide levels twice the legal threshold causing poor indoor air quality, inconsistent classroom heat, and are noisy and costly to maintain. 

What’s the cost?

The project cost is $106 million. $25 million of that will be funded by the state, thanks to a new change this year in state funding for school construction. That leaves $81 million to be funded through the voter-approved levy. If we don’t pass the levy, we do not receive funding from the state. That’s a monthly cost of $65 for a property valued at $500,000, collected for six years.