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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Olympia

Gregoire proposes lifting limit on school levies; would mean $62 million more for schools, including Spokane’s…

Also this morning, Gov. Chris Gregoire said that 75 school districts across the state have millions of dollars in voter-approved levies that they cannot collect, because they're butting up against a law that puts a "lid" on such levies.

Gregoire's proposal: why not lift that lid temporarily, which would mean that they can collect $62 million more in property taxes to help with the current budget crisis? It would mean critical relief to keep programs intact and offset difficult cuts, she said.

The voters have already voted to pay these levies," she said. "We should lift the artificial cap and let the money go forward, maintaining education for our students."

How much money would this mean for school districts? Here are some examples:

-Spokane: $1.4 million
-Seattle: $14 million
-Tacoma: $1.7 million
-Mead: $321,000
-Cheney: $203,000
-West Valley (Spokane): $696,000
-Olympia: $3.3 million
-Richland: $1.2 million
-Everett: $474,000



Short takes and breaking news from the Washington Legislature and the state capital.