2004 Seattle Elections

Primary Elections Voters' Guide

Seattle Families and Education Levy

Statement For

Vote YES on the Families and Education levy to give every child and every family a chance for success in our schools.

The levy provides citywide services and a focus on:

Early Learning
Provides preschool programs for an additional 350 children each year. School-readiness is key to academic success.

Student Health
Provides nursing services and school-based health.

Out-of-School Time
Provides academically focused after-school programs for middle school students who aren't performing at grade level.

Family Support and Family Involvement
Helps families help their children succeed.

High-Risk Middle- and High-School-Age Youth
Provides help for children who need special attention to get out of trouble and get on a path for positive development and academic success.

The levy creates partnerships with teachers and principals, parents and community-based organizations to Close the Achievement Gap and help all children succeed. To ensure accountability, we will measure results to make sure we are making progress on our goals for children.

Give all children a chance for success in school! Join Mayor Greg Nickels, former Mayor Norm Rice, parents, community leaders and educators who urge you to VOTE YES FOR SEATTLE'S FAMILIES ON SEPTEMBER 14.

Statement prepared by:

Norm Rice, Greg Nickels, David Della

Rebuttal to Statement For

We reviewed all of the City's family levy evaluation reports published since 1990. Out of 25 programs, only 3 showed even slight improvements in academic achievement. Some programs actually showed a negative effect on achievement. Other programs were never evaluated or their reports were missing.

Read the initiative carefully, especially Sections 5, 6 and 7. The oversight and accountability requirements are as inadequate as before. Seattle families deserve a better deal. VOTE NO.

Rebuttal prepared by:

Stefan Sharkansky, Andy MacDonald, Bart Cannon www.soundpolitics.com/FamilyLevy.html