Two proposals for funding Auburn schools have received endorsement from the Seattle King County Realtors (SKCR).
The measures, including a replacement levy and a bond package to improve facilities at Auburn High School, will be on the Feb. 14 special election ballot.
SKCR president Wolf Puls said the endorsement was by unanimous vote of the association’s Governmental & Public Affairs Committee, which considered several factors in its deliberations.
“We believe the replacement levy is crucial to maintaining current educational programs and services,” he stated, noting Realtors also were convinced the 61-year-old Auburn High School is in dire need of modernization and reconstruction.
David Crowell, SKCR’s director of governmental and public affairs, said there is a compelling need for funding.
In a letter to Dr. Kip Herren, the school district superintendent, Crowell said SKCR members will be urged to vote “yes.” The association also will encourage its members who live and work in Auburn to support passage of the measures.
Crowell cited several factors that influenced the endorsement vote.
“Auburn is making impressive strides in closing the achievement gap,” Crowell said. “Among accomplishments Realtors praised were breakthroughs in reading and math, with district elementary students outperforming pupils elsewhere by double digits on many scores. Improvements in on-time graduation rates and reductions in dropout rates are also commendable.”
SKCR believes Auburn is on track to attain its goal of becoming a world-class district, but recognized continued progress depends on ample funding, including voter support of Propositions 1 and 2.
Proposition 1, the replacement levy, would maintain current educational programs and services for all students, without adding new taxes. Proposition 2 is a $110 million proposal to modernize and reconstruct Auburn High School. The combined passage of the funding measures would result in level school taxes for the average homeowner in Auburn.
Puls, SKCR’s president and a broker at Windermere Real Estate, said good schools are the first thing homebuyers ask about.
“Good schools are essential for preserving the value of family homes. They are critical for economic vitality and job creation,” he emphasized.
Schools also unify and define communities, Puls remarked. “But most important, quality schools are crucial to the futures of the students in the Auburn School District.”
Puls said the association also endorsed three other school funding measures on the upcoming special election ballot. They include proposals from the Issaquah, Renton and Tukwila school districts.
“We are very proud to be associated with the real estate industry leaders who stand firmly committed to a healthy community, and to the success of the children whose families our Realtors serve,” he said.
