The Renton School District will have two replacement levies on the Nov. 4, 2025, general election ballot, which the district calls “important” and measures that “work together to continue funding school programs, technology, school staff, and building maintenance for schools across the Renton School District.”
Voters will be asked to continue funding for the measures called the Educational Programs and Operations Replacement Levy and the Technology/Capital Replacement Levy. According to the district website, the measures would not be new taxes, but would instead “replace measures continuously approved by voters that will expire in 2026.”
If the measures pass, the funding measures would continue through 2030.
Educational Programs and Operations Replacement Levy
Measure 1 (called the Educational Programs and Operations Replacement Levy) would be a replacement excess tax levy of $58,217,253, as stated in Resolution No. 20-24/25, which needs to be made in 2026 for collection in 2027. This would be followed by $61,514,773 in 2027 for collection in 2028, $64,320,460 for 2029 and $66,735,516 for 2030.
The district reports that this replacement levy would renew funding for jobs and basic education programs, “including middle and high school athletics/activities, class size reduction, transportation, summer school and after school enrichment activities, elementary music and art programs, technology, curriculum, special education, and maintenance and operations programs outside of basic education funding, food service, safety, school counseling, social emotional supports, and administrative support.”
Technology/Capital Projects Replacement Levy
The second measure is the Technology/Capital Projects Replacement Levy, which the district says needs to be continued so that construction, modernization and remodeling of school facilities could be supported as needed throughout Renton schools.
Resolution No. 23-24/25 says that “deteriorating and educationally outdated school facilities, student safety and security concerns, the existing condition of educational technology equipment, infrastructure, systems and facilities, and the needs of the District’s educational programs” require the district to take action, making the voter approval of the continuation of the levy imperative.
The district says that, due to the expiration of the district’s current four-year Capital Projects Fund tax levy, the fund “will be insufficient to permit the district to pay costs of the projects.”
According to the resolution, it is necessary for a replacement excess tax levy of $30,000,000 a year for the next four years.
The cost
The district website insists that these two levies would not be a new tax, but are instead renewing the expiring levies that have been in place to “provide local funding for critical needs not covered by state and federal funding.”
In 2016, the combined district tax rates were at $5.35 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which dropped 36% to the current rate of $3.41. “The drop is primarily due to continued growth in our tax base and tax reform efforts. Saving our homeowners and businesses thousands of dollars in tax costs,” said the district website.
It is projected that the district tax rates will continue to decrease to $3.39 if “growth in our district continues as expected.”
As presented on the Nov. 4, 2025, ballot, the district’s projected combined tax rate is as follows:
• Education Programs and Operations Levy: $1.06 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
• Technology/Capital Projects Levy: $0.72 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
• School construction bond (which is not on the ballot): $1.61 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The total district combined levy rate would thus be $3.39, which is projected to remain steady or continue to decline through 2030.
For more information, visit rentonschools.us/departments/community-relations/nov2025electionmeasure.
Image courtesy of Renton School District.
