On Oct. 9, the Mercer Island School Board held a study session on the facilities and capital improvement projects and proposed educational program and operations (EP&O) levy as well as a regular board meeting that included a debate on the proposed city bond.
In 2019, the state Legislature capped the amount that local levies can raise, but recently raised that cap by $500 per student. Superintendent Fred Rundle explained that the levy funds 16% of the district budget, helping to pay for salaries and insurance for teachers and staff; programs like special education and the arts; operations including transportation and class size reductions; and materials like textbooks and technology.
A proposed levy renewal will start in 2027 and run for three years. It would increase property taxes annually by $150 per $1 million of assessed value. The levy renewal will represent a 15% increase in the portion of the tax bill designated for schools and about 3% increase on total tax bills. The proposal seeks a levy amount starting at $16 million in 2027, increasing by $1 million annually until 2030.
The board held the first reading of the EP&O levy renewal, with a second reading scheduled for Oct. 23 before placing the levy on the February 2026 ballot.
Discussion on city bond
School board member Deborah Lurie and PTA Council President Sarah Karim facilitated presentations for and against Proposition 1, a city bond to build a public safety and maintenance facility.
Deputy Mayor David Rosenbaum and City Councilmember Craig Reynolds presented for the “yes” campaign in their personal capacities, they said. They said that current facilities are closed or failing, arguing that the bond is an investment in the future that will ensure that Mercer Island remains a safe place to live, with the high level of services citizens expect.
For the “no” campaign, Mike Cero, a former city councilmember, argued that the process the city used was backwards. Rather than assessing the city’s needs by interviewing department heads, reviewing facilities of comparable cities, and planning over a two-year period before arriving at a cost, the city council needed to first assess the tax tolerance of the community. Cero believes the tax tolerance is a 20% increase in the portion of a property’s tax bill allotted to the city and argued that the city should have planned for facilities costing $50M or less.
Cero said his numbers came “straight from the city material,” estimating “$55 times 12 months is $660 for a $2 million house.”
Board member Lurie noted that “our temporary police facilities don’t meet accreditation standards” and asked, “how will you ensure the ongoing safety of our students?”
Reynolds replied that the new building will help MIPD attract and retain police. He also said that the only alternative to a new building is to “pour millions of dollars more in” to repair existing facilities that will have a limited time horizon.
Reynolds said the city’s facilities assessment showed “the public safety and maintenance building was in bad, bad shape,” explaining that it “does not meet code” and that repairing it with millions “is not fiscally responsible.” Rosenbaum added that residents “have high expectations for what those facilities deliver,” and as a parent, he supported the school bond.
Rosenbaum said Mercer Island is “one of the few cities where the city and school district share the same exact geographic boundaries.” He highlighted collaboration through the school resource officer, Youth and Family Services counselors, and joint emergency operations, pointing to the district’s role in providing a warming center during a recent storm.
Lurie expressed gratefulness that the city supports students in emergencies and asked about the emergency preparedness plan. Reynolds and Rosenbaum explained that snow plows and expensive equipment are not currently under shelter, which delays snow removal and degrades equipment. They said the new facility would have water and would be able to run in an emergency, as well as provide a place to store emergency equipment. Reynolds said that there are not places on the island to store the equipment needed.
“If bridges go down and all our equipment is off-island,” Reynolds said, “that doesn’t help us very much.”
Reynolds agreed with Cero that there is “a limited capacity people have to pay taxes,” adding that residents “have high standards for what they expect.” He said the proposal was based on “a needs-based analysis and making sure we’re providing the services they need.”
Cero suggested, “It will only take [the city] an additional six months to re-design and get going with a bond that is hopefully much less.”
On Thursday, the school board is planning to vote on a resolution to support the city bond.
Lurie asked: “Do we want to come together and support the community leaders who were working really hard on these plans?” She said she was considering a resolution supporting the city bond that would fund “seismically resilient buildings,” house the Emergency Operations Center, and improve police and emergency response to schools. “If we want safe kids, safe schools, and safe city buildings who can get to schools, we need to support our community,” she said.
Board member Dan Glowitz opposed the idea, warning that endorsing another government’s bond “blurs the separation of government entities.” He continued, “the fact that we would be in a position to endorse a city bond when we didn’t even have a vote on endorsing our own bond,” in his opinion, “that’s not good governance.”
Lurie replied, “This is a practice that school boards in the past have done. I was part of a resolution and got a lot of the language from the former resolution that supported the city, a prior city bond for parks, where the school board endorsed. … I’m sure we would be told by our attorney if it wasn’t appropriate, but this is good for our kids. It’s why I recommend that we endorse.”
Enrollment
The district’s current enrollment is 3,825 FTE students, down 73 from last year, including 1,530 in elementary, 922 at Islander Middle School, and 1,373 at the high school. Both 6th and 7th grades are under 300 students for the first time. Open enrollment totals 138 students, 69 nonresidents, 59 children of staff and 10 of city employees, bringing total resident enrollment to 3,687.
Changes to discipline procedures
The board reviewed revisions to student discipline procedures presented by Assistant Superintendent Erin Battersby. A significant change is the amount of support provided for a child who is expelled from school for a few days versus a longer period. Battersby explained, “[Support] becomes more robust the more the student is out.”
Board reports
In her legislative report, board member Cristina Martinez noted that there are few federal cuts to education that will impact the district. Martinez said she is meeting with legislators every Sunday for two hours to advocate for the needs of our district.
In the closing board reports, Martinez and board president Maggie Tai Tucker expressed gratitude to teachers for hosting curriculum nights. They also reported on a meeting with parents and district staff regarding consistency, enrichment, and opportunities for acceleration of math in elementary school.
In his report, Glowitz said he’d heard troubling, credible allegations about the high school and advocated for a safe learning environment. Superintendent Rundle said, “We are taking in information. We’re taking everything seriously on things that we can act on. If you have more information, I would love to hear that so we can pursue that.” Glowitz responded that he would provide the information to Rundle.
Public comment
Board candidate Rob O’Callahan urged the board to disclose the cost of the Strategy 360 consulting study and objected to a delay in his public record request until January 2026.
Additional details on the meeting can be found on the district website.
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Mar Brettmann and Linnea Augustine are Mercer Island residents. They submitted separate reports about the board meeting, and the Mercer Island Reporter merged the reports.
