FAQ: Bond & Levies

Funding for education in the state of Washington is complicated. The state does provide some funding to school districts, but Northshore relies on voter-approved funding measures to bridge the gap between what the state funds and what our district needs to support students with programs, services, technology, and facilities. The state does not provide any funding for major construction projects in schools.

In order to fill these funding gap​s, school districts often utilize bonds and levies. This local funding allows our school district to provide the structures and services our community relies on, which allows students to grow and thrive.

Learn more about school bond and levy funding in Washington state.

In the Feb. 10 election, Northshore’s EP&O and Technology levies require a simple majority, or 50% + 1 of the votes cast, to pass. The Capital Projects Bond requires a super majority, or 60%, to pass.

The bond measure must meet a validation requirement, in which the number of ballots cast must total 40% or more of the total number of ballots cast in the previous General Election, in this case the November 2025 election. There is no validation requirement for levies.

The total combined tax rate of the February 2026 measures is estimated to be $3.20 per thousand of assessed property value. For a home valued at $1M, that would total $3,200 annually or $267 a month. This tax rate is actually lower than what our community approved in February 2022, which had a projected tax rate of $3.28.

Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent and are listed per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Both the EP&O Levy and Technology Levy are expiring in 2026, so approval of these two measures will allow the district to maintain the support for students and staffing funded by these measures for another four years. Local education levies expire on a regular cycle and must be brought in front of voters to be renewed.

While the Capital Projects Bond is not a renewal, it does replace previous bonds the district has paid down. The District has structured its outstanding bonds to make room for this authorization. It is anticipated that bond payments will be structured to keep the District’s total tax rate stable during this four-year cycle.

Taxes collected are based on the assessed property value, which is determined by the Assessor’s Offices in King and Snohomish counties, based on the location of the property. The sale price of a home or property is not what determines how much is paid in property taxes. While assessed values have increased over time, they have not increased at the same rate as home sale prices.

The taxes collected for school levies and bonds are spread across the entire tax base of the Northshore School District. In our district, as more construction projects continue to be completed, the taxes will be spread across that growing base of property owners, which includes both homes and businesses. Voters approve a total dollar amount for each ballot measure, and that total amount does not change as the tax base grows. The result is that the tax rates are likely to decrease from what is projected in the District’s current estimates because there will be more property owners paying taxes. As we like to put it, the size of the pie does not change, but each property owner’s slice of the pie is likely to get smaller as more taxpayers take a slice.

The senior citizen/disabled persons property tax exemption programs in King and Snohomish counties help to reduce your property tax liability.  The qualifying criteria for the program is based upon your age and/or disability, residency, and income. 

Please contact the assessor's office for more information:
King County Senior Tax Exemption
Snohomish County Property Tax Exemption