With an overwhelming 80% of Seattle voters approving the historic Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise levy, the city has issued a powerful mandate to fundamentally reinvest in its children from their earliest years through their entry into the workforce. This landmark $1.3 billion initiative, the largest of its kind in both city and state history, now moves from the ballot box to the complex phase of implementation, where community input is proving critical in shaping how these funds will be deployed. At a recent public forum held at Denny International Middle School, local families, students, and educators gathered to provide direct feedback, ensuring that the levy’s ambitious goals translate into tangible, on-the-ground support that addresses the real-world challenges faced by Seattle’s diverse communities. The conversations held during this event offer a clear preview of the priorities and potential transformations that lie ahead for the city’s educational landscape over the next six years.
A Foundation of Unprecedented Investment
The FEPP levy represents a profound financial commitment from the city’s residents, projected to cost the owner of a median-assessed home approximately $654 annually, a significant increase from the expiring 2018 levy’s $249 per year. This investment is now in a crucial implementation planning stage, a meticulous process that will extend through the summer of 2026. The culmination of this planning will be a final implementation plan presented to the Seattle City Council for a vote in June 2026. Following approval, the first year of levy-funded programs is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2026, setting in motion a six-year cycle of support that will run through 2032. Championed by Mayor Bruce Harrell and placed on the ballot as Proposition 1, the levy’s journey from proposal to overwhelming public approval signals a broad consensus on the need for systemic educational reform and support. The city is now tasked with translating this financial commitment into effective, equitable programs.
The gravity of this planning phase was highlighted by the attendance of key city and education leaders at the community forum. Dr. Dwane Chappelle, director of Seattle’s Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL), opened the event, framing the discussion as an essential component of the implementation process. His presence was complemented by opening remarks from Seattle City Council members Rob Saka and Maritza Rivera, whose involvement is particularly significant. Rivera chairs the council’s Libraries, Education & Neighborhoods Committee and was a pivotal member of the select committee for the FEPP levy, placing her at the center of legislative oversight. Also present to absorb community feedback was Seattle School Board member Vivian Song, who previously served on the levy’s oversight committee. This convergence of executive, legislative, and school district leadership underscored a unified commitment to ensuring that the voices of the community are not just heard but are actively integrated into the levy’s final blueprint.
The Three Pillars Guiding Educational Reform
The largest portion of the levy’s funding, a substantial $658 million, is allocated to the “Ready to Start” pillar, which focuses on early learning and childcare. This investment is designed to address the region’s acute childcare crisis by providing high-quality preschool for three- and four-year-olds, with free tuition for low- and middle-income families. It also includes childcare co-pay support to ease the financial burden on working families and funds programs aimed at supporting families with children from the prenatal stage to age three. Critically, this pillar recognizes that a stable, high-quality early learning system depends on a supported workforce. To that end, a significant portion of the funding is dedicated to providing direct wage-enhancing payments to childcare workers, a measure intended to improve retention, attract new talent to the field, and ultimately enhance the quality of care that Seattle’s youngest residents receive during their most formative years of development.
The “Ready to Learn” pillar, with an allocation of $510 million, concentrates on bolstering support for K-12 students through a holistic framework. It will finance free and accessible expanded learning opportunities, including robust academic and enrichment programs that take place during the school day, after school, and over the summer. These programs are intended to address learning gaps, foster new interests, and provide safe, engaging environments for students outside of traditional classroom hours. Beyond academics, this pillar makes a significant investment in student well-being. It will fund the creation of five new School-Based Health Centers, bringing the city’s total to 34 and expanding access to vital medical care directly on school campuses. Furthermore, the levy will expand school safety initiatives and increase the availability of student mental health services, acknowledging that a student’s ability to learn is inextricably linked to their physical health, mental wellness, and sense of security at school.
With an investment of $84 million, the “Ready to Launch” pillar is strategically focused on ensuring students are prepared for success after high school. The centerpiece of this initiative is the Seattle Promise program, which offers tuition-free college at Seattle Colleges for all graduates of Seattle public high schools, effectively removing a major financial barrier to post-secondary education. This pillar also supports the development of clear and accessible transfer pathways to four-year institutions like the University of Washington-Seattle, helping students seamlessly continue their education. Moreover, it provides targeted scholarships designed to cultivate a diverse and skilled local workforce. These scholarships will encourage students to enter high-demand fields such as education, the skilled trades, and the public sector, creating a pipeline of talent that can meet the evolving needs of the city’s economy and community while providing graduates with stable, rewarding career paths.
Translating Community Concerns into Action
During focused breakout sessions, community feedback provided a clear roadmap for how the levy’s broad goals should be implemented on a practical level. The “Ready to Start” group, discussing early childhood education, quickly identified a “missing middle” dilemma in the current support system. Participants described how many middle-income families earn too much to qualify for existing subsidies like the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) but are still severely burdened by the high cost of care. The consensus was a strong call to broaden eligibility for financial aid. From a logistical standpoint, families emphasized the need for greater flexibility, including care options available outside of traditional business hours to accommodate varied work schedules, as well as the provision of essential resources like food and transportation. The group also offered innovative workforce solutions, suggesting the creation of pathways for high school students to assist in childcare settings to gain valuable experience and help alleviate staffing shortages.
The largest discussion group of the evening, focused on the “Ready to Learn” pillar for K-12 students, coalesced around the need for a comprehensive “whole-child” approach. Participants strongly advocated for support that seamlessly integrates both academic and socio-emotional needs. They envisioned out-of-school enrichment that is hands-on, culturally relevant, and provides students with meaningful opportunities to explore new skills and passions. On the critical issue of mental health, the group expressed a desire for a more proactive and integrated model, where support is woven into the daily fabric of the school experience through a network of caring adults, rather than relying on students to seek out standalone services. An overarching theme was the urgent need for authentic family and community engagement. This requires schools to move beyond passive communication and issue clear, explicit invitations for involvement, treating parents and multi-generational family members as indispensable partners in the educational process.
In the “Ready to Launch” group, which included high school students, the conversation centered on the daunting challenge of navigating the complex systems that lead to post-secondary success. Students voiced a need for clearer, more direct support in applying for financial aid and accessing larger funding amounts. A recurring theme was the “information access challenge,” with participants noting the difficulty of finding relevant scholarships and internships online because, as one person noted, “the internet is so big.” This led to a strong consensus on the need for more real-world career exploration, specifically through job shadowing opportunities that allow students to gain firsthand experience in various professions. Personal stories highlighted the profound impact of school-based resources, with one participant sharing how interactions with a therapist at a school health center sparked an interest in pursuing a career in psychology, illustrating how the levy’s investments can directly shape future career paths.
A Call for Continued Civic Engagement
The community forum concluded with a clear message that public involvement did not end with the vote. Organizers framed the event not as a final consultation but as a vital part of an ongoing dialogue between the city and its residents. The feedback gathered was set to directly inform the implementation plan, ensuring that the final strategies reflected the lived experiences and priorities of Seattle’s families. In a direct call to action, it was announced that DEEL was accepting applications for the levy’s official oversight committee. This provided a tangible pathway for citizens to remain deeply involved, offering them a formal role in guiding the levy’s rollout, monitoring its progress, and ensuring accountability over its six-year lifespan. This focus on sustained civic partnership demonstrated a commitment to making the FEPP levy a truly community-driven initiative from its inception through its ultimate evaluation.
