During the 2023 election cycle in Washington, 14 school bond measures failed despite being supported by at least 50 percent of voters.
That might sound undemocratic, but our state requires 60 percent approval for school bond measures. As a result, six bond measures were rejected last year despite receiving at least 55 percent of the vote; another eight were supported by a majority that was inadequate.
The process, which is codified in the state Constitution, violates the normal standards of democracy and ignores the fundamental notion of majority rule. It also places an undue burden on school districts and impacts rural and poor districts to an inordinate degree.
The situation calls for change, and state Reps. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, and Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, are leading the effort. House Joint Resolution 4207 would lower the threshold for school bond measures to 55 percent. It deserves support from lawmakers.
The solution is not ideal; 50 percent plus one vote would be a more equitable requirement. But a compromise requirement of 55 percent would be welcome and would come closer to democratic ideals.
There is some irony in the proposal. A constitutional change requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber of the Legislature to send the measure for a statewide vote, where it will need 50 percent. First, however, the bill must make it out of committee. And while testifying recently in front of the House Education Committee, Harris shared his thinking:
“The Evergreen School Board passed in 2018 a $695 million bond. We have beautiful schools in the Evergreen School District. Impeccable.” In contrast, he said, the Stevenson-Carson School District “still has lead-based paint in their schools, they have a heating system that doesn’t work, and they have no air conditioning. The disparity is huge.”
That disparity often is a result of an inability to pass bond measures. In 2018, for example, two Battle Ground Public Schools measures were rejected despite receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. In February of that year, 6,772 “no” votes carried more weight than the 9,616 votes in favor. In 2022, a bond measure in the Ridgefield School District was favored by 59.17 percent of voters but fell 73 votes short of approval.
This year, Battle Ground is seeking a capital levy, which requires only a 50 percent majority, and Ridgefield is taking another stab at a bond. The results of previous failures are encapsulated on the Battle Ground website: “Buildings are aging. Many roofs and heating/cooling systems are nearing the end of their warranty. … Technology has become outdated.”
In addition to fueling inequity between districts, the supermajority requirement also leads to misunderstandings. According to The (Spokane) Spokesman-Review, Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, queried Harris during legislative testimony: “With more of a capacity to pass bonds, are you afraid that some of these project scopes will explode? You know, instead of just building a nice school, now I’m going to build the Taj Mahal of schools?”
Harris replied: “Our areas — Republican areas — they need schools. I’m sorry, Stevenson needs a school, desperately. Do I think they’re going to build the Taj Mahal? Heavens, no. I think what they’re going to build is a very economical school that will meet their needs.”
Couture’s question misses the basic point of the issue: If voters believe a bond request is overly luxurious, a majority of them can reject it. That is the way democracy is intended to work.
