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GET THE FACTS!Essential Updates to our
70 year-old School Buildings WHY VOTING YES IS IMPORTANT |
- 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.
