Seattle Teachers try new funding approach

The Seattle Times reports:

Frustrated by a lack of state funding for schools, Seattle's teachers union plans to ask voters this fall for a citywide increase in taxes.

If successful, the initiative would pour as much as $40 million a year into the Seattle Public Schools budget, to be spent mostly on new teachers and staff. To approve the measure, voters would be agreeing to lift the levy lid and increase their property taxes.

If the initiative passes, the owner of a $400,000 home would pay an additional $150 a year, with property taxes rising about $37 per $100,000 in value.

The teachers union hopes Seattle voters will be willing to pay the extra amount for six years if they are guaranteed that the money will be spent primarily on smaller class sizes, all-day kindergarten and closing the achievement gap between white students and students of color.

Teachers have an agenda:higher taxes.