And Annie is correct that the state abdicates its responsibility to fund schools. But they abdicate their responsibility to fund most things in this state and to provide us with a decent tax structure--so the point is rather useless. What does Annie suggest? We punish the kids to make a point?

There were no major races on the ballot - not the state legislature, not the King County Executive, not US federal offices. And the highest profile issue, Prop 1, saw Democratic voters split on the matter, with a majority backing it and a smaller but vocal minority opposing it.

To me the lesson is never, ever put anything important on a ballot that isn't happening in an even-numbered year. Well, that and the state Democrats need to get their act together. Being AWOL on an election is no longer a possibility.

And certainly the state is abdicating its responsibility for school funding by forcing districts to rely on these levies, but the long-term solution to that is electing better Democrats (note that I'm not saying "more Democrats") to the leg. Meanwhile, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this one pulls it out in the end.

Sometimes you are a great writer, but sometimes your provincialism, in the form of clearly never leaving the city limits except for some "here's what they think/do in the sticks", is breathtaking.

"It’s not like school levies have much of a problem passing around here anyway."

Tell that to the parent in the Snoqualmie (Snoqualmie/North Bend) school district. The last TWO levies have failed. As a result they're totally unable to respond to the rapid growth that's happened out there.

Your lukewarm attitude toward this incredibly important measure is really disappointing.

Levy funds account for 16% of statewide education funding - 24% in Seattle. That's nearly ONE quarter of the Seattle School District operating budget. These are precious funds.

And - you are WRONG about levies 'always passing.' In 1996 there was a levy failure in Seattle where the levy received 58% of the vote. Last year Vadar SD had a double levy failure - and guess what? It closed. There have been 171 levy failures since 2000 - nearly all receiving over 50% of the vote.

So - do not shrug! These are precious funds - for a precious education system serving all of our kids.

OH - and yes, the levy problem is a small slice of the larger education funding problem in this state. In case you didn't notice, Olympia can't print money. Every little bit helps. When school advocates press forward on other solutions, I hope you will stand up and speak up rather than standing by and shrugging your shoulders at the problems facing our education and kids in this state.

I believe that a majority - a simple majority, but still a majority - should approve school funding, because I think a community should be invested in its schools.

Having a community say "yes, we need to build a new high school" means the people of the community have to take responsibility for that new school. If it were just up to someone in Olympia, it would be yet another case of people abdicating THEIR responsibility to their community, and then blaming Oly when things weren't they way they want them to be.

Even operational levees make sense, to a point, as it again makes the community take a part, and take responsibility, for their schools.

Call me naive, but that's the way it works back in Iowa, and if there's one thing you can say for Iowa, it's that they have good, well-funded public schools, with a lot of civic involvement. They also used to have ridiculously affordable public colleges and universities, but that might have changed by now.

If we're going to require a supermajority for anything, it ought to be ill-written, ill-conceived harebrained initiatives.

the commenters here have it exactly right (except 8 - that I don't get).

I have a suggestion - how about spending the time between now and the next board elections (2009) going to board meetings, talking to people at League of Education Voters, and paying attention to public education issues in Seattle, so you can give some informed commentary and recommendations in that election? That would be great.