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WHY VOTING YES IS IMPORTANT!
Maintain & Enhance our
70-year old school buildings 700+ neighbors have endorsed this bond. Is your name on the list? |
#1 GET THE FACTS!
Explore this website to get the answers you need.
#2 SPREAD THE WORD
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#3 7% IS TRUE. 40% IS NOT TRUE.
IS IT TRUE THAT THE BOND WILL RAISE OUR OVERALL TAX RATE BY 40%? NO.
Here's the math. Additional info is on our Is it True? page.
GUESSTIMATE MATH: "40% increase” is an inaccurate and misleading number that takes old property value guesstimates, estimates future taxes paid, and then calculates the tax percentage increase of only the portion of your property taxes that is for local schools. The variables used over a year ago aren't correct per King County, so that increase can't happen, even for the 21.3% slice of property taxes that are for local Schools. Plus, it's super misleading to imply our entire property tax would increase by 40%. 40% is not true.
REAL MATH: "7% increase" is simply a calculation of the change in the property tax rate if the bond passes. It's a real number, not an estimate. Here is the rate change for your total overall property taxes.
[New rate $6.99 - Old rate $6.54] / $6.54 = 0.688 = 6.8%
REMEMBER $450: Every $1M of assessed property value = $450 increase. So, a $2M home will increase $900 one-time (in 2026). Then for the next 14 years, the rate will stay the same.
MORE MATH FACTS
Remember that this bond is not about what size tax increase. It’s about maintaining and enhancing our 70-year-old school buildings and preserving and investing in our public schools!
Here's the math. Additional info is on our Is it True? page.
GUESSTIMATE MATH: "40% increase” is an inaccurate and misleading number that takes old property value guesstimates, estimates future taxes paid, and then calculates the tax percentage increase of only the portion of your property taxes that is for local schools. The variables used over a year ago aren't correct per King County, so that increase can't happen, even for the 21.3% slice of property taxes that are for local Schools. Plus, it's super misleading to imply our entire property tax would increase by 40%. 40% is not true.
REAL MATH: "7% increase" is simply a calculation of the change in the property tax rate if the bond passes. It's a real number, not an estimate. Here is the rate change for your total overall property taxes.
[New rate $6.99 - Old rate $6.54] / $6.54 = 0.688 = 6.8%
REMEMBER $450: Every $1M of assessed property value = $450 increase. So, a $2M home will increase $900 one-time (in 2026). Then for the next 14 years, the rate will stay the same.
MORE MATH FACTS
- Our last bond was in 2014. This bond is smaller than the 2014 bond when converted to today’s dollars.
- The committee chose the smallest of the four bonds offered. It’s fiscally responsible.
- There are no more bonds planned at this time until a new committee looks at all options. Piper Sandler, the investment bank managing bonds, shows the School tax rate steady for the next 14-years.
- Voting no means waiting to fix necessary problems with our buildings. Construction costs are going up 8% per year.
Remember that this bond is not about what size tax increase. It’s about maintaining and enhancing our 70-year-old school buildings and preserving and investing in our public schools!
- Special Election School Bond Approved 5-0 by MISD School Board
- Ballots delivered on April 5, 2025 and due by April 22, 2025
- Scope includes finishing Islander Middle School ($100M)
- Essential & necessary updates on High School Campus ($64M)
- Exploration of the future of elementary schools ($1M)
- Bonds are only for Buildings, Levies are for Learning.
- The state does NOT provide funding for school buildings.
- MI School Buildings (except Northwood) were built in the 1950s!
- Bonds require 60% to pass. The last bond in 2014 passed with 74% of the vote.
- Ballots delivered on April 5, 2025 and due by April 22, 2025
- Scope includes finishing Islander Middle School ($100M)
- Essential & necessary updates on High School Campus ($64M)
- Exploration of the future of elementary schools ($1M)
- Bonds are only for Buildings, Levies are for Learning.
- The state does NOT provide funding for school buildings.
- MI School Buildings (except Northwood) were built in the 1950s!
- Bonds require 60% to pass. The last bond in 2014 passed with 74% of the vote.
- $165M total bond: This is collected only from Mercer Island property owners.
- Current Rate: Mercer Island school tax rate is $1.44 per $1,000 of assessed value.
- New Rate: The 2025 Bond is an additional $0.45 per $1000 for a total of $1.89 per $1000 of assessed value.
- Increase of $450 per year for every $1M value of your home.
- Mercer Island taxpayers pay 20-60% less in local school taxes than Bellevue, Lake Washington, Northshore and Issaquah School Districts. Even after this bond, we will still have the lowest school tax rate on the Eastside.
- This bond is about the same as the 2014 bond which was $172MM in today's dollars.
- Your Yes vote for the Bond does not take away funding for learning. The bond is only for buildings. In fact, the district cannot ask for additional EP&O learning funding due to the 2012 McCleary decision.
- Current Rate: Mercer Island school tax rate is $1.44 per $1,000 of assessed value.
- New Rate: The 2025 Bond is an additional $0.45 per $1000 for a total of $1.89 per $1000 of assessed value.
- Increase of $450 per year for every $1M value of your home.
- Mercer Island taxpayers pay 20-60% less in local school taxes than Bellevue, Lake Washington, Northshore and Issaquah School Districts. Even after this bond, we will still have the lowest school tax rate on the Eastside.
- This bond is about the same as the 2014 bond which was $172MM in today's dollars.
- Your Yes vote for the Bond does not take away funding for learning. The bond is only for buildings. In fact, the district cannot ask for additional EP&O learning funding due to the 2012 McCleary decision.
- Committee of experts and community members met for 2-years to develop this reasonable and measured next step to take care of aging school buildings.
- If we wait, it will cost more.
- A "NO" vote on this bond will only make problems worse. A "NO" vote does not change the school board or school district policies regarding enrollment or curriculum.
- If we wait, it will cost more.
- A "NO" vote on this bond will only make problems worse. A "NO" vote does not change the school board or school district policies regarding enrollment or curriculum.
We'd like you to know about the bond, how it impacts you and our community, what will be built, and a bit about the amazing Mercer Island students. Plus, we've done some fact checking you may be interested in. Click the buttons for the facts on the bond.
