Renton’s levy and the cost of trust

In November 2022, Renton voters approved funding to expand and upgrade Renton High School. The ballot language and public messaging evoked the idea of a new, nearby location. Some were skeptical about where that might be. After searching unsuccessfully for alternative sites, the district and school board turned to expanding on the current property. When homeowners, business owners, renters next to the school began receiving or hearing of buyout offers — or facing eminent domain — public trust cracked.

Opponents who call the effort “illegal” may be using the wrong word. The ballot language was almost certainly lawful, and RSD appears to be within its legal rights. But legality is not the only measure of public accountability. When constituents say “illegal,” they are expressing that they feel betrayed and deceived. The measure’s text never explicitly mentioned displacing families or shuttering local businesses. Rentonites, generally trusting and supportive of schools, didn’t read for metaphorical “fine print.” Having learned the hard way, I imagine they will think twice in the future.

That being said, some were already aware of the power that is endowed. Decades ago, Renton School District purchased land from the Houston family under threat of eminent domain for a school that was never built. The aftershocks lingered so strongly — due in part to the parallels to the current controversy — that this year, John Houston’s advocacy helped pass SB 5142, the Houston Eminent Domain Fairness Act, granting former owners special rights when seized land is resold for purposes other than those promised. This law is not symbolic; it’s a legislative warning flare signaling the community’s waning tolerance, goodwill, and readiness to mobilize.

Now, history threatens to repeat itself. The district’s aggressive land acquisition has jolted residents into action. Some have shown up at school board meetings demanding answers. The board, bound by procedure, has not responded to public comment. Long before formal protests, residents were speaking up. In one meeting, a school board representative appeared to doze off — a snapshot of the disengagement people felt in the room as tensions escalated. Similar to ballot measures, actions like this are unlikely to be forgotten by the next election cycle.

To justify the specifics of the project, RSD says it will “provide a more equitable comprehensive high school site for Renton High School students, staff, and families.” But equity is not a catchphrase — it’s a principle. Think of the familiar “equity” graphic: people of different heights trying to watch a baseball game over a fence. Equity is not giving everyone the same box to stand on; it’s giving each person what they need to see the game. Families have repeatedly urged the district to recognize what Renton High School is—and what the others are not: a city high school. Applying a suburban school template to an urban campus ignores the context, constraints, and needs of the community it serves. Community members have pointed to Ballard High School as a comparative example, not Lindbergh.

Once trust is lost, it’s very challenging to rebuild. We’ve seen this with neighboring school districts, where repeated levy failures show what happens when opacity hardens into cynicism: voters stop trusting the leadership and operations of their local schools and vote against giving them additional authorities. It will be interesting to see Renton’s trust measured three years after the RHS measure when Renton votes on two school district measures this November.

Ali Cohen, Renton