Washington state Sen. Adrian Cortes, of Washington’s 18th Legislative District, has introduced Senate Joint Resolution 8200 (SJR-8200), a proposed state constitutional amendment aimed at addressing school funding challenges and housing affordability.
The resolution seeks to lower the voter approval threshold for school bonds from a 60% supermajority to a simple majority of 50% plus one vote.
“This bill really does follow through with my campaign promises ... to support our students in our schools and ... bring real and meaningful solutions to reduce the cost of living,” Cortes said.
The resolution arrives as local officials, particularly in Ridgefield, increasingly advocate for a simple majority threshold. In April 2024, the Ridgefield School District proposed a $70 million bond to construct a new elementary school and expand Ridgefield High School.
Despite receiving 58.87% voter approval, the measure failed to meet the 60% supermajority requirement. Following this, Ridgefield’s City Council and other local officials called for legislative action to lower the threshold in this year’s legislative session.
In the subsequent Feb. 11 special election, the district passed a capital projects and technology levy with 55.21% approval, utilizing $21 million in impact fees to help fund school expansion projects. Impact fees are charges on new developments used to fund school facilities.
However, a key provision of SJR-8200 includes the elimination of school impact fees. Cortes argues that removing these fees would make homeownership more affordable.
“Eliminating school impact fees could lower the cost of your house by $10,000 to $20,000, which is significant,” he said.
For Ridgefield, impact fees have played a crucial role in funding new school facilities through levies, which require only a 50% majority to pass. Cortes acknowledged that Ridgefield’s rapid growth has led to higher school impact fees than in other parts of the state. He noted that had a 50% majority been the standard, the original bond in April 2024 would have succeeded, providing much-needed funding for school expansion.
“Communities like Ridgefield that are growing extraordinarily fast ... will naturally experience higher levels of school impact fees,” he said.
However, he emphasized that these fees rarely cover the full cost of new school construction.
“The trade-off in being able to put out a bond measure that’s more fair at the 50% plus one simple majority ... would definitely overshadow any lost school impact fee revenue,” Cortes added.
SJR-8200 has cleared the Education Committee and is currently awaiting review in the Ways and Means Committee. If it advances, the resolution will move to the Senate floor for a vote in the coming weeks. Should it pass both legislative chambers and receive the governor’s approval, the amendment would be placed on the ballot for Washington state voters to decide.
A companion bill, SB 5186, is also under consideration to implement the proposed changes if the amendment is approved.
“Very rarely are you able to have an opportunity to really tackle (multiple) issues with one bill, but this bill really does do that,” Cortes said.
For more information about the proposed resolution, readers can visit app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=8200&Year=2025&Initiative=false.
Hockinson School District issues capital levy following bond failure
Following a failed bond measure in the Feb. 11 special election, the Hockinson School District is now pursuing a capital levy to address safety and security needs. The $87.75 million bond, which would have funded a new elementary school, received 1,759 votes in favor and 1,990 opposed, falling short with 46.92% approval.
When asked for comment regarding SJR-8200, Hockinson School District Superintendent Steve Marshall underscored the importance of both bonds and impact fees in financing school facilities, noting their distinct roles in meeting district needs.
“It’s difficult for me to have a position on this kind of proposal because both impact fees and bonds are critical sources of funding for school facilities. Impact fees are a more immediate funding source that help districts accommodate growth in the present, and bonds can provide long-term funding for more permanent solutions to school facility needs,” Marshall wrote.
“In the past, Hockinson School District has used impact fees to fund temporary solutions to house a growing student population, like installing portable classrooms at our elementary school. The proposed Safety & Security Capital Levy is more of an intermediate step to improve the safety needs that come with an elementary campus of 924 students. Over the next few years we will be collaborating with our community on a more permanent solution to overcrowding.”
The proposed levy focuses on upgrading security at Hockinson Heights Elementary School and district-wide while ensuring overall school tax rates remain stable from 2025 to 2026. If approved by voters in the April 22, 2025, special election, the levy would replace an expiring bond, keeping the total school tax rate at $3.05 per $1,000 of assessed home value. The levy is valued at approximately $0.66 per $1,000. Readers can learn more at shorturl.at/x9bx6.
