First, the good news: Our legislators failed to lower the election requirement to pass school bonds to 50 percent. It will continue to take a super-majority of voters — 60 percent — to pass school bonds.

Now the bad news.

Our legislators have betrayed our trust. South Kitsap School District is one of the state’s districts that enabled this to happen. SKSD can now collect $2.50 per $1,000 against our property values. It was $1.50. So much for those hollow promises of tax relief. The state will raise property taxes in 2020 to fund public education. They have tacitly given free rein to SKSD to run as many levies and bonds as they wish, or what they think they can get away with.

This is how it happened: Our legislators in Olympia bowed to the threats of teacher and staff layoffs by school districts. They also threatened a reduction or elimination of student programs and activities. Rich and poor districts alike demanded the lifting of levy caps limiting dollar amounts they could collect on levies. The legislative record reflects that SKSD administrators were the primary lobbyists and manipulators in these efforts. An interesting side note: SKSD did not threaten to lay off any of its administrators.

Here’s what voters can do: They can vote NO on all future bonds and levies; ignore bullying and taunts from levy and bond supporters; demand SKSD practice fiduciary responsibility and restraint; demand they become more transparent in how they run this school district; and most importantly, they can write letters – and GET ORGANIZED!

Visit citizenssupportingsouthkitsapschooldistrict.com, where you’ll find lots of unbiased information. Use the contact information to find out what SKSD is really doing “behind the curtain.”

Dave Kimble

Port Orchard